Elections: Referendums

Guto Bebb: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what estimate the Electoral Commission has made of the cost to the public purse of each referendum and election due to take place on 5 May 2011.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the estimated cost of its own activities relating to the UK-wide referendum proposed for 5 May, and which would also support the elections already scheduled in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales on 5 May, is £9.3 million.
	This includes the cost of fulfilling its statutory responsibilities at a referendum, including delivering a public information campaign and making grants of public money, up to a maximum of £0.6 million each, to the designated organisations appointed as lead campaigners for each of the referendum outcomes. The Cabinet Office has developed separate estimates for the total costs of running of a national referendum and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform (Mr Harper) on 14 July 2010,  Official Report, column 798W.
	Should the UK-wide referendum not take place then the Commission informs me that its estimated costs in relation to the scheduled elections on 5 May 2011 alone would be approximately £3 million.

Departmental Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Attorney-General what estimate the Law Officers' Departments have made of expenditure on travel undertaken by  (a) him and  (b) each other Minister in these departments in (i) September and (ii) October 2010.

Dominic Grieve: Travel by Ministers is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
	The expenditure on air and rail travel undertaken by the Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General in September and October 2010 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Attorney-General  Solicitor-General 
			 September 620 530 
			 October 38 0 
		
	
	The Law Officers also made use of the Government Car Service during this period for shorter journeys while on Government business, the annual costs for which are presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Transport in a written ministerial statement.

EU Grants and Loans

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what matched funding for Rural Development Fund payments to farmers in England there has been in each of the last five years.

James Paice: The following table shows figures on the matched funding for rural development fund payments to farmers in England in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Financial year  European funds  Exchequer match funds 
			 2009-10 267,904 193,830 
			 2008-09 234,301 184,445 
			 2007-08 193,402 173,130 
			 2006-07 152,850 182,233 
			 2005-06 117,302 157,228 
		
	
	The spend figures above were taken from DEFRA's consolidated resource accounts.
	These figures are the total spend, and includes funding paid to rural projects, some of which went to non-farming socio-economic beneficiaries.

Radiation: RAF Odiham

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reasons have been identified for the increase in gamma radiation levels recorded by the RIMNET radiation monitor at Odiham between noon and 3pm on 4 August 2010.

Charles Hendry: I have been asked to reply.
	During the period 13:00 hrs to 15:00 hrs on 4 August 2010 a severe electrical storm was present in the Odiham area and indications are that this affected the power supply to the RIMNET monitor on the Odiham site causing it to give abnormal readings which were recorded by the RIMNET system. The original probe, while not faulty, has been replaced as a precaution.

Rural Areas: Village Halls

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support her Department gives to rural communities for the maintenance and improvement of village halls and community centres.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA currently funds the Rural Community Buildings Load Fund which is managed by Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE). This provides low cost loans to the sector, enabling communities to keep their buildings in a good state of repair. The funding of Community Halls dates back to the late 1930s. The current provision for this rolling fund stands at £700,000.
	Additionally, DEFRA committed a total of £45,000 funding over three years, from 2008-09 until 2010-11, towards research of the latest village hall survey. This was part of a package of support to fund Rural Communities Action Network (RCAN) for supporting rural communities as part of Community Empowerment and Rural Partnership Programme. The national rural community buildings survey is probably the most comprehensive information source on community-owned buildings, and provides detailed information on their physical state, financing, use and governance. In particular, some of the data was used by the BIG Lottery to help make the case for the recently announced new BIG Lottery Reaching Communities Programme for extension and refurbishment of halls.

Sustainable Development

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion of 19 October 2010,  Official Report, column 634W, on sustainable development, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on steps to ensure that sustainable development is fully embedded into the Treasury's Green Book.

James Paice: DEFRA's Structural Reform Plan, agreed with the Prime Minister, commits us to produce guidance to ensure that sustainability and the value of nature are taken into account in policy appraisal. My officials are working closely with Her Majesty's Treasury and the Government Economic Service members across Whitehall to ensure the recommendations of the DEFRA-led Review of the Economics of Sustainable Development are implemented. This includes work to improve the way we take account of environmental impacts in policy appraisal. The Government expect Parliament will play a major role on holding it to account in achieving this.
	Economists and social researchers from DEFRA are taking a lead role in the cross-government Social Impacts Task Force (co-chaired by DEFRA's Chief Economist), which aims to ensure that analysts across Government are more systematically and consistently assessing social impacts, which was a recommendation of the Review. The Task Force's remit includes developing guidance to help departments assess the social impacts of Government policies; and highlighting the importance of social impacts and wellbeing indicators in cost benefit analysis and impact assessment of policies. One of the outputs produced by the taskforce will include developing supplementary guidance on social impacts.

Electricity Generation

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the production price per kWh is for each major electricity generating technology method.

Charles Hendry: The following tables are taken from Mott Macdonald (2010) and give levelised cost estimates (average generation cost per megawatt-hour) for new build plants in the main large-scale electricity generation technologies in the UK, including onshore wind, offshore wind and nuclear, at current engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract prices.
	Where technologies are emerging, costs are given on a First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) basis, which includes a cost premium associated with a early projects.
	
		
			  Case 1: 10% discount rate, 2009 project start at today's EPC prices, with mixed FOAK/NOAK 
			  Levelised cost  Gas CCGT  Gas CCGT with CCS - FOAK  ASC coal  ASC coal with CCCS - FOAK  Coal IGCC - FOAK 
			 Capital Costs 12.4 29.8 33.4 74.1 61.7 
			 Fixed operating costs 3.7 7.7 8.6 18.6 9.7 
			 Variable operating costs 2.3 3.6 2.2 4.7 3.4 
			 Fuel costs 46.9 65.0 19.9 28.7 20.3 
			 Carbon costs 15.1 2.1 40.3 6.5 39.6 
			 Decomm and waste fund - - - - - 
			 CO2 transport and storage 4.3 - 9.6 - 9.5 
			 Steam revenue - - - - - 
			 Total levelised cost 80.3 112.5 104.5 142.1 134.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Levelised cost  Coal IGCC with CCS - FOAK  Onshore wind  Offshore wind - FOAK  Offshore wind R3 - FOAK  Nuclear PWR FOAK 
			 Capital Costs 82.0 79.2 124.1 144.6 77.3 
			 Fixed operating costs 17.7 14.6 36.7 45.8 12.2 
			 Variable operating costs 4.6 - - - 2.1 
			 Fuel costs 28.3 - - - 5.3 
			 Carbon costs 5.5 - - - - 
			 Decomm and waste fund - - - 2.1  
			 CO2 transport and storage - - -   
			 Steam revenue - - - -  
			 Total levelised cost 147.6 93.9 160.9 190.5 99.0 
			  Source: Mott Macdonald (2010), UK electricity generation costs update, available at:  http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Statistics/Projections/71-uk-electricity-generation-costs-update-.pdf 
		
	
	The following are the levelised costs per MWh for projects started in 2017. They are all given here on the basis of Nth-of-a-Kind (NOAK) meaning it is assumed that all technologies have matured and there has been a cost reduction through learning. For some technologies this is expected to result in a reduction in costs.
	
		
			  Case 2:  10% discount rate: 2017 project start at projected EPC prices, all NOAK Coal 
			  Levelised  c ost  Gas -CCGT  Gas - CCGT with CCS  ASC Coal  ASC Coal+CCS  Coal IGCC  Coal - IGCCC with CCS  Onshore Wind  Offshore Wind  Offshore Wind R3  Nuclear - PWR 
			 Capital costs 11.2 20.7 28.7 47.8 33.7 46.5 71.7 89.4 97.0 49.6 
			 Fixed operating costs 3.7 6.0 8.6 13.8 8.0 12.3 14.6 23.0 30.9 9.1 
			 Variable operating costs 2.3 3.6 2.2 3.7 2.7 3.6 - - - 1.8 
			 Fuel costs 49.8 64.7 19.9 27.6 19.6 27.2 - - - 5.2 
			 Carbon costs 29.6 4.1 73.8 11.4 72.0 10.0 - - - - 
			 Decomm and waste fund - - - - - - - - - 2.1 
			 CO2 transport and storage - 3.5 - 7.6 - 7.5 - - - - 
			 Steam revenue - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Total levelised cost 96.5 102.6 133.2 111.9 136.0 107.1 86.3 112.4 127.9 67.8 
		
	
	It should be noted that the estimates of levelised costs for different types of electricity generation are highly sensitive to the assumptions used for capital costs, fuel and EU ETS allowance prices, operating costs, load factor, and other drivers. Meaning that there is significant uncertainty around these estimates.
	The levelised costs reflect only the cost of power generation and its delivery to the grid. They do not reflect the availability to certain technologies of subsidy such as ROCs.

Energy: Prices

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals for minimum standards for energy tariffs which include a requirement for energy suppliers to  (a) give notice of a month prior to a customer's deal coming to an end and  (b) provide information on the tariff to which such customers will be transferred in circumstances in which they do not switch tariffs before the expiry of their deal.

Charles Hendry: The Energy Security and Green Energy Bill will include measures to improve energy efficiency and energy security, measures to enable low carbon generation and measures to clarify liabilities and responsibilities. We have no plans to include the very specific measures the hon. Member asks about.
	In circumstances were a domestic customer will become subject to a deemed contract when an existing contract ends, Ofgem already requires energy suppliers to give the domestic customer details of the deemed contract terms 30 working days in advance of the date the existing contract is due to end.

Liquid Petroleum Gas

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will discuss with suppliers of fixed liquid petroleum gas supplies on communal contracts the provision of variations to such contracts in order to enable individual domestic consumers to withdraw from them.

Charles Hendry: I met on 4 November with representatives from UKLPG, the trade association which represents liquid petroleum gas suppliers. As part of the meeting, I discussed with them communal contracts and the provision of variations to such contracts in order to enable individual domestic consumers to switch supplier. I asked them to consider what more could be done to improve the functioning of the market.
	The OFT will continue to monitor the market and do all they can to ensure that consumers can exercise their rights to switch supplier.

Renewable Energy

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what  (a) financial and  (b) other sanctions the EU institutions are entitled to impose on member states who do not meet the 15 per cent. renewables target.

Charles Hendry: Directive 2009/28/EC (the renewable energy directive) imposes a duty on the UK to ensure that its share of energy from renewable sources in gross final consumption of energy in 2020 is at least 15%.
	If the Commission considers that a member state has failed to meet its obligations under the directive it will raise the issue with the member state concerned, giving the member state the opportunity to submit its observations. The Commission may then deliver a reasoned opinion requiring the member state to bring itself into compliance within such period of time as the Commission specify. Should the member state dispute or fail to comply with the reasoned opinion, the Commission can bring infraction proceedings against the member state in the Court of Justice of the European Union.
	If the member state fails to take the necessary measures to comply with the judgment of the Court of Justice, the European Commission can bring a further set of proceedings against the member state, seeking the imposition of a fine. The court could impose a lump sum fine and a recurring penalty payment which would apply until the member state complied with the judgment. There is no limit on the size of the fine that the court could impose, but the European Commission has issued guidance on the fines that it would seek (SEC(2005)1658 as updated by SEC(2010) 923/3).
	Article 5(2) of the directive provides for a member state to inform the European Commission if it considers that, due to force majeure, it is impossible for it to meet its 2020 target. In the event that the Commission decides that force majeure has been demonstrated, it will determine what adjustment shall be made to the member state's levels of renewable energy for the year 2020.

Renewable Energy

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the cost per unit to the public purse of producing energy through  (a) the Severn Barrage and  (b) onshore wind farms.

Charles Hendry: The Severn Tidal Power feasibility study did not compare the costs of a scheme to onshore wind but used a range of other low-carbon generating technologies as comparators (offshore wind, coal with CCS, and nuclear). No assessment was made of the potential cost of Severn tidal power to the public purse, as the study did not propose a funding or delivery mechanism.
	The feasibility study also calculated levelised generation costs for five potential Severn power schemes. These can be compared to recent estimates of levelised costs for onshore wind to give an indication of the relative cost of the technologies, as set out in the following table. All Severn scheme costs exclude the costs of Compensatory Habitat provision and any adjustment for Optimism Bias.
	
		
			  Technology  Levelised cost of generation, 10% discount rate (£/MWh) 
			 Cardiff Weston Barrage 199 
			 Shoots Barrage 215 
			 Beachley Barrage 267 
			 Welsh Grounds Lagoon 320 
			 Bridgwater Bay Lagoon 238 
			 Onshore Wind (Nth of a Kind, 2017 Project Start Date) 86 
			  Sources: Severn scheme costs from Severn Tidal Power feasibility study Impact Assessment. Onshore Wind costs from Mott MacDonald, "UK Electricity Generation Costs Update", June 2010, p87.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that individual installed heat pumps are certified as meeting the required average seasonal performance factor as defined in Annex VII of the Use of energy from renewable sources Directive 2009/28/EC.

Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith) on 4 November 2010,  Official Report, column 890W. The method for determining the average seasonal performance factor will feature as part of the European Commission's guidance, as required under the renewables directive. Certification will be crucial, and we will be seeking views on our approach to certification in our forthcoming consultations on our microgeneration strategy and on the renewable heat incentive regulations.

Air Force: Military Bases

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the RAF bases at  (a) Kinloss and  (b) Lossiemouth; when he plans to make a decision on their future; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: As detailed in the Strategic Defence and Security Review White Paper the decisions to not bring Nimrod MRA4 into service, retire the Harrier Force and reduce the size of our Tornado fleet, will mean that Kinloss and two other bases will no longer be required by the RAF. No decisions have yet been made on which other two bases, or on any future use of the bases, although it is possible that some of the estate vacated by the RAF will be used by units returning from Germany or retained for other Defence purposes.
	Given the significant work required on our overall basing plan, it is unlikely that any final decisions on RAF basing or future Defence use of those bases will be taken before the end of the first quarter of next year.

MOD St Athan: Training

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for the facilities already established for service training at MOD St Athan.

Nick Harvey: Following the cancellation of the Defence Training Rationalisation private finance initiative, the initial works contracts already under way at Ministry of Defence St Athan will continue. Work to secure East Camp on health and safety grounds and to permit efficient management of the site over the next five years will be undertaken. The moves of 4 School of Technical Training, the University of Wales Air Squadron, and the Defence Support Group into other areas of East Camp will continue as planned.
	MOD St Athan was previously chosen as the best location on which to collocate technical training for good reasons, and it remains an option for future defence training.

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion of 15 June 2010,  Official Report, column 351W, on nuclear weapons,  (a) on what date and  (b) at which location the 2010 stocktake meeting between the Government and the US administration under the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement took place; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the programme for the meeting.

Peter Luff: The 34(th) meeting of the UK/US Stocktake was held in the US Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, Washington DC on 15 September 2010. The programme comprised discussions on nuclear threat reduction, warhead, and platform issues, together with a consideration of future exchanges.
	I am withholding a copy of the programme for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

Rescue Services: Helicopters

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many search and rescue missions were flown from RAF Kinross using MR2 aircraft in March 2010; and what the  (a) distance and  (b) duration was of each such mission.

Nick Harvey: Two search and rescue (SAR) missions were flown by MR2 aircraft from RAF Kinloss in March 2010. The distance and duration of each mission are shown as follows. The distance is in nautical miles from RAF Kinloss to the SAR task and does not represent the total distance flown. The duration relates only to the actual search and rescue mission.
	
		
			   Distance (nautical miles)  Duration (hours/mins) 
			 17 March 2010 184 2 hrs 26 mins 
			 17 March 2010 625 5 hrs 15 mins

USA: Arms Trade

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will direct the British Embassy in Washington to amend the remit of any renewed contract for political consultancy services with O'Brien and Associates so as to exclude any requirement to influence procurement decisions.

Peter Luff: O'Brien and Associates has not been contracted to influence US or UK procurement decisions on behalf of the British embassy. O'Brien and Associates provide specialist advice and information on major US defence equipment programmes and relevant budget issues, principally as they pass through Congress. The current contract expires in December 2010 and the embassy will determine whether these services are required beyond this period. In the event that a new contract is required, the schedule of requirements will continue to exclude any requirement to influence procurement decisions.

Childhood and Family Task Force

Jon Trickett: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions the Childhood and Family Task Force has met to date; and who attended each such meeting.

David Cameron: The Childhood and Families Task Force was created in June 2010. The role of this group is to identify and prioritise a small number of specific policy proposals that will make the biggest difference to children and families. It is longstanding Government practice not to disclose information relating to ministerial meetings, including the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees, as to do so would put at risk the public interest in the full and frank discussion of policy by Ministers.

Human Rights: Burma

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Prime Minister whether he has discussed the human rights situation in Burma with the US President.

David Cameron: The British Government are deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Burma. We regularly urge the military regime to respect the human rights of all Burma's people and discuss these issues with a full range of international partners. I look forward to discussing Burma with President Obama. I know that he shares my concern about the situation there. US and UK officials are in regular and close contact in Washington, including with the White House, and on the ground in Burma. The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Alistair Burt) and Assistant Secretary of State, Kurt Campbell, exchanged views on the subject at a meeting of the UN Secretary General's Group of Friends in September. We will continue to work closely with the US in our efforts to bring positive change to Burma.

Affordable Housing: Construction

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the likely effects on children of the implementation of proposed changes to the budget for social housebuilding.

Grant Shapps: In the CSR we announced almost £4.5 billion investment in new affordable housing to deliver up to 150,000 affordable homes. However, we are giving housing associations much more flexibility on rents and use of assets, our aspiration is to deliver even more homes through our investment and reforms. We will publish details of how these proposals will work shortly. A further £2 billion will be provided for the Decent Homes programme which will improve the quality of life of those children living in poor quality social housing.

Affordable Housing: Rural Areas

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps he has taken to increase  (a) the availability of and  (b) access to affordable housing in rural areas.

Grant Shapps: In the CSR we announced almost £4.5 billion investment in new affordable housing to deliver up to 150,000 affordable homes. However, we are giving housing associations much more flexibility on rents and use of assets, our aspiration is to deliver even more homes through our investment and reforms.
	On 18 October we called on local planning authorities in rural areas, with high demand for affordable homes, to consider amending their existing planning policies to make it easier for disused farm buildings to be converted into affordable homes. In addition we will be including in the Localism Bill provisions to give local communities new right-to-build powers, enabling them to deliver small-scale development without the need for a separate planning application. By following a simplified neighbourhood planning process, these powers will enable communities to respond quickly to changing development needs.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research his Department has  (a) undertaken and  (b) evaluated on the causes of anti-Semitism; when his Department last undertook a review of the evidence relating to (i) the causes of anti-Semitism and (ii) the number of anti-Semitic attacks drawing on (A) UK and (B) international research; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Andrew Stunell: In the last 18 months DCLG funded the European Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism (EISCA) to research and publish a report on Antisemitic Discourse. The Cross-Government working group to tackle anti-Semitism meets on a quarterly basis to discuss and review the evidence emanating from the UK and abroad relating to the causes of anti-Semitism in the UK and regularly reviews the number of anti-Semitic incidents.

Council Housing: Finance

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the right to buy receipts to be retained by the Exchequer in respect of each local authority where housing stock has been retained in the two years following the introduction of such clawback.

Andrew Stunell: A table showing our records of the amount due from each local authority, which still maintained a housing revenue account on 1 April 2004, to the Exchequer in respect of housing capital receipts they received in the financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06, the first two years after capital pooling was introduced, has been placed in the Library of the House. The majority of these receipts would have been from right-to-buy transactions.
	The table indicates whether the local authority was debt-free on 31 March 2004, since housing receipts received from those authorities remain with the Secretary of State, while capital receipts from with-debt authorities go direct to the Exchequer and do not directly fund this Department's spending plans.

Departmental Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much funding to meet staff redundancy costs was identified in his Department's settlement letter in respect of the comprehensive spending review;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies arising from the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review in respect of  (a) his Department,  (b) its non-departmental public bodies and  (c) other public bodies which are dependent on his Department for funding;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of staff redundancy in each of the next four years.

Greg Clark: The Department for Communities and Local Government spending review settlement will require a 33% reduction in administrative expenditure across the core Department and its arm's length bodies by 2014-15. My Department is also managing the closure of the Government office network with effect from 31 March 2011.
	All pressures on Departments' budgets were taken into account as part of the spending review and settlements were allocated accordingly. The full costs of redundancies will be met from within the Department for Communities and Local Government's spending review resource DEL settlement.
	Determining optimal work force reforms in order to live within the Department for Communities and Local Government's spending review resource DEL settlement will be an ongoing process. Detailed decisions regarding the number of redundancies that may be required have yet to be finalised.

EADS: Lobbying

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the oral evidence taken by the Communities and Local Government Committee on 13 September 2010, HC 453-i, Q109 and Q110, what assessment he has made of the scale of lobbying activity of his Department by EADS; and which public affairs companies have undertaken such lobbying in respect of his Department since his appointment.

Bob Neill: EADS employs a number of in-house lobbyists. We are aware that EADS has supplemented its resource in this area in recent months by taking on former senior personnel from the fire and rescue sector to lobby for changes to the Government's approach to FiReControl and its relationship with EADS. These efforts include both formal meetings and events, and informal contacts. We are also aware that Good Relations of the Bell Pottinger Group are also undertaking lobbying on behalf of EADS.
	I have myself been presented with speculative ideas from EADS that are not in the FiReControl project agreement. However, at the time I made it absolutely clear to EADS that my sole focus for the project was on them delivering the system specified in the project agreement to time, to cost and to quality. To this end, we activated a key milestone in their contract to deliver the main IT system in three control centres by mid-2011. I recommended to EADS that this should be their sole focus on the project too, rather than spending time and money on lobbying.
	The FiReControl project, initiated by the last Government, is over-budget and behind schedule. As with all major Government projects it is being reviewed to ensure value for money for the taxpayers. We have been clear that this Government are not prepared to pour any more taxpayers' money into funding EADS's further delays, nor can they cut any corners in the quality of the system they deliver. This Government are committed to ensuring value for money for the taxpayer, improving resilience and stopping the forced regionalisation of the fire service.

Fire Services: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department undertook a risk assessment in relation to industrial accidents when formulating its proposals for a reduction in the budget of Cleveland Fire Authority.

Bob Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government is responsible for distributing central Government funding across the fire and rescue service in England. However individual fire and rescue authority budgets are made up of a number of elements in addition to central Government funding and all fire and rescue authority budgets are set by the individual authority, not by government.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 25 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 88-89W, outlining how fire and rescue authorities can make savings without impacting on the quality or breadth of services offered to their communities.

Ordnance Survey

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to sell Ordnance Survey in  (a) part and  (b) whole.

Bob Neill: Ordnance Survey is Great Britain's national mapping agency and its data underpins the delivery of many vital public services. Ministers are not currently considering changes to the ownership.

Public Footpaths: Maps

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether members of the public will be able to  (a) inspect and  (b) copy definitive footpath maps held by local authorities under the terms of the new public sector mapping agreement.

Bob Neill: The Public Sector Mapping Agreement covers the use of Ordnance Survey mapping information by public sector bodies in England and Wales. Members of the public will continue to be able to inspect definitive footpath maps held by local authorities, where these maps are based on Ordnance Survey data, under the terms of the new Public Sector Mapping Agreement.
	Local authorities may produce copies of the definitive map where doing so is required to facilitate a surveying authority's duty to allow inspection of the definitive map, as set out in Section 57 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
	Members of the public will be able to take printed hard copies of definitive maps held by local authorities and based on Ordnance Survey data for personal and private use. Copying will be subject to the obligations on local authorities within the PSMA relating to sublicensing and commercial distribution, and subject to each print carrying an appropriate statement concerning the scope of permitted use. The wording of this statement will be provided to local authorities as part of the process of implementing the Public Sector Mapping Agreement.

Repossession Orders: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps he has taken to reduce the number of home repossessions in  (a) Coventry and  (b) the West Midlands.

Andrew Stunell: The coalition Government have acted decisively to tackle the record deficit and avoid the need for rapid increases in interest rates. There are a range of measures in place to help people struggling to pay their mortgage. These include access to free advice, support for mortgage interest (paid by DWP to unemployed homeowners), Homeowners Mortgage Support, and the Mortgage Rescue Scheme which enables the most vulnerable homeowners at risk of repossession to remain in their homes. These provisions are nationwide and not particular to Coventry or the west midlands. In July 2010, the Minister for Housing and Local Government announced changes to the Mortgage Rescue Scheme to secure better value for money, with a reduction in the grant rate paid to housing associations and tighter caps on property price and repair costs for new applications.

Right to Buy Scheme

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) social and  (b) local authority-owned homes were sold under the right to buy scheme in each of the last four years; and how many such sales he expects to occur in each of the next four years.

Andrew Stunell: Information on the number of local authority and registered provider right to buy housing sales in England can be found in Table 2 of "Social Housing Sales to Sitting Tenants, England 2009-10":
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/doc/17207661.doc
	The level of future sales under the right to buy scheme will be determined by the number of successful applications received from tenants.

Social Rented Housing: Evictions

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many tenants of  (a) council houses and  (b) housing association properties were evicted on the grounds of rent arrears in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Andrew Stunell: Information on tenants of council housing is not available.
	Information on evictions from housing association housing is collected in terms of the number of households (rather than tenants). Information is collected by the Tenant Services Authority on their annual Regulatory and Statistical Return survey. Data are from housing associations that completed the long version of the Regulatory and Statistical Return survey and made a valid return, which in general includes those housing associations that own or manage 1,000 or more dwellings and/or bed spaces, including shared ownership dwellings. An eviction is a tenancy brought to an end by a court order and the execution of a bailiffs' warrant. Eviction does not include abandonment, even where a property is abandoned in the period between a court order granted and a warrant obtained or executed. The following table shows figures for the last three years:
	
		
			  Housing association evictions by reason, 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			Reason for eviction 
			   Total evictions  Rent arrears  Antisocial behaviour (ASB)  Both rent arrears and ASB  Other 
			 2007-08 11,354 8,391 1,626 455 882 
			 2008-09 11,230 8,456 1,518 250 1,006 
			 2009-10 9,905 7,535 1,309 214 847 
			  Note: Information from housing associations are from those that completed the long version of the RSR and made a valid return, which in general includes those housing associations that own or manage 1,000 or more dwellings and/or bed spaces, including shared ownership dwellings.  Source: Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR) survey 2010 (collected by the Tenant Services Authority) 
		
	
	The Ministry of Justice collect data on the number of evictions carried out by county court bailiffs for social landlords. An eviction is where a county court bailiff will have successfully been able to gain possession of a property following an order given by a judge. Eviction does not include abandonment, even where a property is abandoned in the period between a court order granted and a warrant obtained or executed. The reasons for eviction are not collected. The following table shows figures for the last three years:
	
		
			  County courts (enforcement work). Number of evictions( 1 ) of social landlord properties by county court bailiffs( 2)  in England( 3) , 2006-07 to 2008-09 
			  Financial year  Social landlord evictions (number) 
			 2006-07 20,881 
			 2007-08 19,406 
			 2008-09 19,055 
			 (1) The vast majority of warrant of eviction outcomes are eviction, the warrant being suspended by an order made by the court and the warrant being withdrawn. (2) Includes warrants issued in the County Court Bulk Centre and via Possession Claim Online. (3) Includes only warrants that have been executed in a county court that are in England.  Source: HMCS CaseMan system and Possession Claim Online

Temporary Accommodation

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the cost to each local authority of provision of bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless  (a) individuals and  (b) families.

Grant Shapps: The latest available local authority revenue outturn estimates are published at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/revenue200809finaloutturn
	I have today placed in the Library of the House a table giving details of the cost of provision of bed-and-breakfast accommodation by each local authority in England in 2008-09.
	A breakdown of costs by household type is not held centrally. Quarterly homelessness statistics, including number of households in bed-and-breakfast accommodation by local authority, are published by the Department on the DCLG website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
	Under homelessness legislation that applies to England, bed-and-breakfast accommodation cannot be used by a local housing authority to discharge a duty to secure accommodation for applicants who are pregnant, or whose household includes a pregnant woman or a dependant child, unless no other accommodation is available for their occupation, and then for no more than six weeks in aggregate.

Departmental Redundancy

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have been offered enhanced early retirement packages in each of the last three years.

John Penrose: The total number of staff who were offered early retirement packages and left the Department is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Total number of staff 
			 2007-08 5 
			 2008-09 2 
			 2009-10 4 
		
	
	The Department does not collate this information for our agency, the Royal Parks.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of the Royal Parks to respond to the
	hon. Member for Shipley directly.
	A copy of the response will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

Horse Racing: Betting

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect on the revenue received from horserace betting levy of bookmakers moving all or part of their operations offshore.

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  whether his Department plans to reform the Horserace Betting Levy to take account of the relocation of British bookmakers that have moved all or part of their operation overseas;
	(2)  whether his Department has made an assessment of the level of funding that would be raised each year in circumstances in which offshore bookmakers that place bets on British horseracing contributed to the horserace betting levy.

John Penrose: I have received advice from the Levy Board about securing fair contributions from overseas operators towards the Horserace Betting Levy.
	I am currently considering this advice and expect to make a further announcement in due course.

Horse Racing: Betting

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the revenue received from the horserace betting levy of the threshold rules that exempt more than 60 per cent. of betting shops from paying the full rate of levy.

John Penrose: I have met representatives of the Horserace Betting Levy Board, racing and bookmaking industries, to discuss all the issues with the levy, and seek suggestions about how the levy might be improved or, if possible, suitably replaced.
	No decisions have been taken yet and I will continue to discuss the options to ensure that funding for racing is fair, and collected from as broad a base as possible.

Free School Meals: Gateshead

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in Gateshead constituency are in receipt of free school meals in  (a) primary,  (b) secondary and  (c) special schools.

Nick Gibb: Information on free school meal eligibility is shown in the table. This includes full-time pupils aged 0 to 15 and part-time pupils aged five to 15.
	Information on the take up of free school meals has not been provided because it is not possible to exclude pupils who are below or over compulsory school age and far fewer of these claim for and take free school meals.
	
		
			  Maintained primary( 1) , state-funded secondary( 1,2)  and special( 3)  schools: School meal arrangements( 4)  As at January 2010 in Gateshead parliamentary constituency and England 
			   Gateshead parliamentary constituency  England 
			   Number on roll( 5)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals( 4)  Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals  Number on roll( 5)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals( 4)  Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 Maintained primary(1) 5,890 1,790 30.3 3,831.470 709,370 18.5 
			 State-funded secondary(2) 3,660 830 22.7 2,864.350 441,140 15.4 
			 Special schools(3) 280 120 44.9 78,330 27,330 34.9 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed, (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) Pupils eligible for free school meals who have full time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between five and 15. (5) Includes pupils who have full-time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between five and 15.  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source:  School Census

Literacy: Primary Education

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the  (a) effectiveness in increasing levels of literacy and  (b) long-term benefits to the economy of the Every Child a Reader scheme.

Nick Gibb: The evidence available suggests the Every Child a Reader (ECaR) programme has a positive effect on attainment at key stages 1 and 2. However, the programme is currently undergoing a robust independent evaluation, to report late in 2010 or early in 2011, which will give a substantive view of impact. The report will, of course, be made available publicly.
	As a Government, we are very aware of the benefits of achieving a good standard in literacy at a young age and are therefore strongly committed to improving attainment levels in literacy and ensuring that no child falls behind. To support this aim, we will be strengthening the use of systematic synthetic phonics in teaching children to read. This will be backed up by a new age six reading test.

Schools: Vocational Training

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on duplication in schools of vocational training provided by further educational colleges; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State of DFE asked Professor Alison Wolf to carry out an independent review of vocational education. Professor Wolf will consider the organisation, funding and target audience for vocational education, and the principles that should underpin the content, structure and teaching methods. She will report in spring 2011, and her findings will inform future developments to improve the standard of vocational education for 14 to 19-year-olds.

Teachers: Chemistry

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many maintained mainstream secondary schools do not employ a teacher with a specialism in chemistry.

Tim Loughton: Information on the qualifications and deployment of secondary school teachers in maintained schools in England is currently available from the Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey (SSCSS). The most recent survey was conducted in 2007; however, a reliable estimate of the number of schools who did not employ any teachers with a chemistry specialism is not possible from this data source due to a small sample size of 327 schools.
	In future this information will be available centrally from the new school work force census. The census will collect annual information on the qualifications of all teachers in maintained secondary schools in England and the subjects that they are teaching. The first full collection of the census is scheduled for November 2010 and the findings are due to be published in April 2011.
	Independent research has been conducted on the distribution of chemistry specialist teachers throughout England. In particular:
	The 2006 NfER report: "Mathematics and science in secondary schools"(1) suggested that of 12% of 11-16 schools had no specialist chemistry teachers (7% of all maintained secondary schools in England).
	(1) Source:
	"Mathematics and science in secondary schools", page 113, NfER 2006.

Teachers: Conditions of Employment

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the cost to schools of the introduction of the rarely cover guidelines for teachers in the 2009-10 academic year.

Nick Gibb: In September 2009, as part of the "Raising Standards and Tackling Workload: a National Agreement", the previous administration introduced the provision that teachers should cover for other teachers only rarely, and only in circumstances that are not foreseeable by schools. I have made no estimate of the cost to schools of this provision for the academic year 2009-10.
	This Government wants to reform our school system so that schools have the freedom and flexibilities to organise staff and resources in a way that reflects local priorities and needs.

Teachers: History

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many maintained mainstream secondary schools do not employ a teacher with a specialism in history.

Tim Loughton: Information on the qualifications and deployment of secondary school teachers in maintained schools in England is currently available from the Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey (SSCSS). The most recent survey was conducted in 2007; however, a reliable estimate of the number of schools who did not employ any teachers with a history specialism is not possible from this data source due to a small sample size of 327 schools.
	In future this information will be available centrally from the new School Workforce Census. The census will collect annual information on the qualifications of all teachers in maintained secondary schools in England and the subjects that they are teaching. The first full collection of the census is scheduled for November 2010 and the findings are due to be published in April 2011.

Teachers: Languages

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many maintained mainstream secondary schools do not employ a teacher with a specialism in a modern foreign language.

Tim Loughton: Information on the qualifications and deployment of secondary school teachers in maintained schools in England is currently available from the Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey (SSCSS). The most recent survey was conducted in 2007; however, a reliable estimate of the number of schools who did not employ any teachers with a modern foreign language specialism is not possible from this data source due to a small sample size of 327 schools.
	In future this information will be available centrally from the new School Workforce Census. The census will collect annual information on the qualifications of all teachers in maintained secondary schools in England and the subjects that they are teaching. The first full collection of the census is scheduled for November 2010 and the findings are due to be published in April 2011.

Teachers: Physics

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many maintained mainstream secondary schools do not employ a teacher with a specialism in physics.

Tim Loughton: Information on the qualifications and deployment of secondary school teachers in maintained schools in England is currently available from the Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey (SSCSS). The most recent survey was conducted in 2007; however, a reliable estimate of the number of schools who did not employ any teachers with a physics specialism is not possible from this data source due to a small sample size of 327 schools.
	In future this information will be available centrally from the new School Workforce Census. The census will collect annual information on the qualifications of all teachers in maintained secondary schools in England and the subjects that they are teaching. The first full collection of the census is scheduled for November 2010 and the findings are due to be published in April 2011.
	Independent research has been conducted on the distribution of physics specialist teachers throughout England. In particular:
	The 2006 NfER report: Mathematics and science in secondary schools(1) suggested that one quarter of 11-16 schools had no specialist physics teachers (16% of all schools);
	(1) Mathematics and science in secondary schools, p. 113, NfER 2006
	More recently, Smithers and Robinson wrote a report for the Gatsby Foundation in 2008 on physics teachers which included an estimate of the distribution across maintained schools(2). The report suggested that 24% of state schools do not employ a physics specialist, however, this percentage varied from between 0% of engineering specialist schools and 48% of non-specialist schools.
	(2) Physics in Schools IV: Supply and Retention of Teachers, p. 62, CEER 2008

Voluntary Schools: Hartlepool

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to make a decision on the application for voluntary aided status from Ward Jackson Primary School in Hartlepool constituency.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 25 October 2010
	The application is for consent to publish proposals for a new Church of England voluntary aided school outside a new school competition, to replace the current Ward Jackson community school. If consent is granted a full statutory process must still be followed and the decision on whether or not the new school is approved will be taken locally, under established local decision-making arrangements.
	We are awaiting further information from the Diocese of Durham which is the applicant in this case as a school does not have the power to make an application. The application will be considered in full once this is received.

Witten Questions: Government Responses

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to answer Question 19500, tabled by the hon. member for Hartlepool on 20 October 2010 for named day answer on 25 October on the voluntary-aided application status of Ward Jackson primary school in Hartlepool constituency.

Nick Gibb: A response has been issued to the hon. Member today.

Witten Questions: Government Responses

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to answer Question  (a) 20044,  (b) 20045,  (c) 20046 and  (d) 20146 tabled on 25 October 2010 for named day answer on 28 October 2010.

Tim Loughton: Responses to the hon. Member's questions will be issued shortly.

Departmental Policy

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what departmental policy reviews his Department has undertaken since 6 May 2010; on what date each such review  (a) was announced and  (b) is expected to publish its findings; what estimate he has made of the cost of each such review; who has been appointed to lead each such review; to what remuneration each review leader is entitled; how many (i) full-time equivalent civil servants and (ii) seconded staff are working on each such review; from which organisations such staff have been seconded; and how much on average such seconded staff will be paid for their work on the review.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice has not established any external policy reviews since 6 May 2010. However, The Family Justice Review was announced in the Families and Relationships Green Paper from the then Department for Children Schools and Families in January 2010.
	The review is expected to publish its final report in autumn 2011 and is expected to cost £75,000 for the financial year 2010-11.
	David Norgrove is heading up the review. He receives no remuneration, but is reimbursed for expenses incurred through his work for the review.
	The review is staffed by 7.7 FTE civil servants and there are no seconded staff on the review.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what his Department's capital expenditure per head was in  (a) London and  (b) the North West in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much and what proportion of his Department's capital expenditure was allocated to  (a) London and  (b) the North West in each of the last five financial years.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) does not centrally hold information on capital expenditure per head or by allocation on a regional basis. It would incur disproportionate cost to collate such information at a local level with full coverage of the Department including: the MoJ Headquarters, HM Courts Service, Tribunals Service, the Office of the Public Guardian, and the National Offenders Management Service.
	However, information on what the MoJ has incurred in terms of the total capital costs set under the Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) is available in the public domain. This can be found on p161 of the Department's 2009-10 Resource Accounts at the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/resource-accounts-2009-10.htm
	The MoJ capital outturn for the last five years is summarised in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year  Outturn (£000) 
			 2009-10 848,023 
			 2008-09 899,558 
			 2007-08 748,799 
			 2006-07 534,965 
			 2005-06 502,442 
		
	
	The increase in expenditure in 2007-08 and in the following years is due to machinery of government change, which resulted in the transfer of additional funding for the National Offenders Management Service and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform from the Home Office to the newly formed Ministry of Justice, and the implementation of Lord Carter's review of HM Prison Service, which resulted in an increase in capital spend to take account of the additional prison capacity requirement.

Departmental Redundancy

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many redundancies he expects there to be at the Tribunals Service as a result of the implementation of the Government's proposals for public bodies reform; and what he expects the  (a) severance and  (b) pension arrangements to be for employees.

Jonathan Djanogly: Proposals for public bodies reform published by the Cabinet Office on 14 October and introduced in the Public Bodies (Reform) Bill are that a number of appeal jurisdictions currently under the Departments for Business, Innovation and Skills, Communities and Local Government and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs be transferred to the Tribunals Service. There are no plans for changes to existing Tribunals Service jurisdictions and, therefore, no redundancies are expected as a result of the proposals for public bodies reforms.
	The Ministry of Justice has received the spending review 2010 allocation but this has not yet been apportioned to business groups to inform workforce planning over the comprehensive spending review period. It is forecast that any staff reductions will be achieved as much as possible through natural attrition and voluntary early exits, with compulsory departures to be used only as a last resort.
	 (a) All early departures will be subject to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.
	 (b) All pension arrangements are subject to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Empty Dwelling Management Orders: Squatting

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received from  (a) members of the public,  (b) local government councillors and  (c) hon. Members and Members of the House of Lords on properties occupied by squatters; what response he provided in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Following recent media coverage about the harm caused by squatters in residential and non-residential property, I have received a number of representations from members of the public and Members of Parliament calling for the law to be strengthened. To date, I have not received any representations from Members of the House of Lords or local councillors on this issue.
	I have asked my officials to look at the existing law on trespass and the way it is enforced to see if it can be strengthened. They are working with officials in other Government Departments, including the Home Office, and with the Association of Chief Police Officers and CPS to see what, if any, changes may need to made, including to police guidance on dealing with squatters. No firm conclusions have been reached.

Google

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who was responsible for selecting the sample of the Google Street view payload data examined by staff of the Office of the Information Commissioner during their visit to the headquarters of Google in July 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Information Commissioner's staff selected the sample payload data which was examined during their visit to Google headquarters.
	This information was provided by the Information Commissioner's Office.

Juries: Mental Illness

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what impact assessment his Department has undertaken in respect of those diagnosed with mental health conditions who are disqualified from jury service under the Juries Act 1974; and what impact assessment his Department has undertaken in respect of  (a) the Equality Act 2010,  (b) the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and  (c) the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Crispin Blunt: We have no plans at present to change the provisions in the Juries Act 1974 relating to the eligibility for jury service of people with mental health conditions and therefore are not undertaking any formal impact assessments in that connection. Initial analysis has indicated that only about 2% of people summoned for jury service are disqualified on grounds of mental health. Modifying the provisions governing people's eligibility to serve would be a disproportionate response in view of the limited benefits and the small number of people likely to be affected.

Mental Health

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of recommendations relevant to his Department's policy responsibilities contained in the Foresight report on Mental Capacity and Well-Being by the Government Office for Science; if he will ensure that his Department takes steps to promote well-being; if he will ensure that his Department's policy development process takes account of psychological research into subjective well-being; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: We recognise the importance of decisions and actions taken in the justice system as having a significant impact on individuals' mental health and wellbeing, and anticipate that many of our planned reforms will have a positive impact. For example, the family justice review is considering how to make the family justice system more efficient and effective, thereby providing better outcomes for people using it; and our proposals for bringing about a rehabilitation revolution are aimed to improve access to mental health services by offenders-a group identified by the Foresight report as suffering from high levels of mental health problems. We will be consulting widely in our forthcoming Rehabilitation and Sentencing Green Paper, and implementation of changes will be informed by the views received and the relevant research.

National Probation Service: Wales

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding he allocated to the Probation Service in North Wales in 2009-10; and how much such funding he plans to allocate in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12.

Crispin Blunt: In the financial year 2009-10 the funding allocated to North Wales Probation Board by NOMS was £12,132,000. In addition to this funding, NOMS Cymru made an additional allocation of £205,000 to ensure that North Wales Probation received a sufficient level of funding to provide probation services across the region. During the financial year north Wales identified that they would not spend this full allocation and a transfer of funding of £112,000 was made to Gwent Probation Board to allow them to offer some employees early exit schemes. The final amount of funding provided to North Wales Probation Board for 2009-10 was £12,225,000.
	With effect from 1 April 2010, following the successful application of all four probation organisations in Wales to merge and form the Wales Probation Trust, North Wales Probation Board ceased to exist as a single entity. As such it is not possible to identify the amount of funding allocated to north Wales for probation services, however, the level of funding provided to the Wales Probation Trust for 2010-11 currently stands at £55,626,000, which represents a funding settlement that is in line with the business plan put forward as part of the application to form the Wales Probation Trust. It is not possible to specify the proportion of funding provided to cover north Wales as many services are now provided on an all Wales basis.
	NOMS is unable to confirm the level of funding that will be provided to the Wales Probation Trust for 2011-12 as the settlement for the whole of NOMS is not yet known. Once the detail of the impact of the comprehensive spending review has been worked through NOMS will be in a position to provide the planned funding allocation for Wales Probation Trust.

Office of the Information Commissioner

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Office of the Information Commissioner.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) meet regularly to discuss a range of matters, including the Commissioner's powers and resources.
	The ICO is independent of Government in the way it discharges its statutory responsibilities in respect of the Freedom of Information Act, Environmental Information Regulations, Data Protection Act and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.

Parole: Reoffenders

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people were recalled to prison from the Bridgewood House probation hostel, Northampton in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009;
	(2)  what proportion of the prison population was made up of recalled prisoners in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many people were recalled to prison for breaches of licence in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009.

Crispin Blunt: According to information provided by Bridgewood House Approved Premises, Northampton, the number of residents recalled to prison in  (a) 2008 was 13 and  (b) 2009 was 15.
	The prison population as at 30 September 2010 was 85,429; of these prisoners, 5,659 were recalls, a proportion of 7%.
	Data on the number of offenders recalled to custody is broken down by business year (April to March). The number of offenders recalled to prison in  (a) 2008-09 was 13,351 and  (b) 2009-10 was 14,779.
	The Department publishes quarterly information on the prison population; the latest available data, September 2010, can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/offender-management-stats-quarterly.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prison Service: Wales

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding he allocated to the Prison Service in North Wales in 2009-10; and how much such funding he plans to allocate in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12.

Crispin Blunt: The Prison Service and NOMS are national agencies that cover the whole of England and Wales and provide a service for all offenders regardless of their home location. Presently there are no prisons situated in north Wales area and as such there has been no funding directly allocated to north Wales in relation to Prison Services. The majority of male offenders in custody that originate from north Wales are located at HMP Altcourse, with the majority of female prisoners being held in HMP Styal, and additional services have been allocate to support Welsh offenders held at both sites. The cost of these services are included in the overall prisons' costs as such we are unable to separately identify the funds utilised for those services.

Prison: Education

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prison officers and  (b) other staff are engaged in delivering education in prison; and how many redundancies among such staff he expects to arise from the implementation of the proposals of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review.

Crispin Blunt: There were (on 30 June 2010) 277 full-time equivalent directly employed prison officers, senior officers and principal officers with an instructional specialism. There are also 895 full time equivalent directly employed civilian instructional officers, who are civil servants and are involved in delivering vocational training in prison workshops and other areas.
	Education in prisons is, in the main, contracted out by the Skills Funding Agency and their contractors employ the staff. No central information is held on their numbers and to collect this information from individual contractors would incur disproportionate cost.
	The impact of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review on offender education staffing levels is not yet determined.
	A review led jointly by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills and. the Ministry of Justice on offender education is currently underway and is due to report to Ministers before Christmas.

Prisoners: Education

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to increase the number of prisoners who are able to undertake education in prison; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his policy is on the use of distance learning for short-term prisoners; and what steps he is taking to increase the availability of such courses to prisoners.

Crispin Blunt: A review on offender education led jointly by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Ministry of Justice is currently under way and is due to report to Ministers before Christmas. I expect the review to address issues such as the efficiency of education delivery, how best to maximise the number of prisoners who are able to undertake education in prison and the use of distance learning and other non-classroom based learning.

Prisons: Education

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what qualifications are available for prisoners to undertake; how many prisoners took part in a course to attain each type of qualification in each of the last five years; and how many and what proportion of prisoners completed each course in each year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: There are a wide range of qualifications available in prisons. The majority of these are delivered by the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) funded and contracted by the Skills Funding Agency. The curriculum varies in all prisons depending on identified learning need.
	In addition to basic literacy and numeracy 'Skills for Life' qualifications, further training opportunities, classroom based and vocational, are available to support individuals who have employment aspirations and where their Individual Learning and Sentence Plans recommend that they engage in training.
	Qualifications offered include those on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) giving learners the opportunity to achieve credits that contribute to a full nationally recognised qualification.
	The Skills Funding Agency is able to provide information on the number of learners engaged in learning and skills provision funded by the Skills Funding Agency (formerly the Learning and Skills Council) and the type of aims enrolled, completed and achieved from the Individualised Learner Records (ILR) in the 2006-07 academic year (August 6 to July 7), the 2007-08 academic year (August 07 to July 8) and the 2008-09 academic year (August 8 to July 9) by aim types.
	In the 2006-07 academic year, there were 92,371 learners engaged in learning and skills provision funded by the LSC. Table 1 shows that there were 240,045 learning aims enrolled upon by these learners and 43,457 (18%) of these aims were related to specific aim types. Completion rate for total aims were at 54% and achievement rate for the total aims were at 42%.
	
		
			  Table 1: 2006-07 F05 academic year ILR data (LSC funded provision): Includes custody and community aims enrolled by all learners There were 92,371 learners identified in the 2006-07 academic year who were engaged in the LSC funded provision 
			  Aim Type  Aims enrolled  % aims  Completed  % completed  Achieved  % achieved 
			 Access to HE 101 0 8 8 2 2 
			 GCE A/AS/A2 level 112 0 63 56 27 24 
			 GCSE 788 0 374 47 251 32 
			 GNVQ precursor 10 0 10 100 9 90 
			 GNVQ/AVCE 11 0 - 0 - 0 
			 NVQ 989 0 426 43 357 36 
			 OCN 41,446 17 22,608 55 17,035 41 
			 Other 196,588 82 105,751 54 84,299 43 
			 Grand Total 240,045 100 129,240 54 101,980 42 
			  Source:  2006-07 ILR 
		
	
	In the 0720-08 academic year, there were 115,807 learners engaged in learning and skills provision in custody. There were 299,300 learning aims engaged by these learners and 48,323 (16%) of these aims were related to specific aim types. Completion rate for total aims with specific aim types were at 57% and achievement rate for those aims were at 49%.
	
		
			  Table 2: 2007-08 F05 academic year ILR data (LSC funded provision in custody): Includes custody enrolled by all learners: There were 115,807 learners in custody identified in the  2007- 08 academic year who were engaged in LSC funded provision. 
			  Aim Type  Aims enrolled  % Aims  Completed  % completed  Achieved  % Achieved 
			 Access to HE 45 0 10 22 7 16 
			 GCE A/AS/A2 level 264 0 63 24 64 24 
			 GCSE 1,194 0 491 41 386 32 
			 GNVQ precursor 4 0 2 50 2 50 
			 GNVQ/AVCE 4 0 - 0 0 0 
			 NVQ 2,224 1 1,270 57 1,139 51 
			 OCN 44,588 15 25,657 58 21,526 48 
			 Other 250,977 84 143,658 57 123,564 49 
			 Grand Total 299,300 100 171,171 57 146,688 49 
			  Source:  2007-08 ILR 
		
	
	In the 2008-09 academic year, there were 98,324 learners engaged in learning and skills provision in custody. There were 243,182 learning aims engaged by these learners and 37,780 (16%) of these aims were related to specific aim types. Completion rate for total aims were 59% and achievement rate for the same group of aims were at 51%.
	
		
			  Table 3: 2008-09 F05 Full academic year ILR data ( LSC funded provision in custody): Includes custody aims enrolled by all learners-there were 98,324 learners in custody identified in the 2008-09 academic year who were engaged in LSC funded provision. 
			  Aim Type  Aims enrolled  % aims  Completed  % completed  Achieved  % achieved 
			 Access to HE 13 0 63 485 0 0 
			 GCE A/AS/A2 level 190 0 48 25 25 13 
			 GCSE 827 0 310 37 193 23 
			 GNVQ precursor 77 0 46 60 44 57 
			 NVQ 2,639 1 1,125 43 981 37 
			 OCN 34,034 14 20,607 61 16,739 49 
			 Other 205,402 84 121,596 59 106,016 52 
			 Grand Total 243,182 100 143,732 59 123,998 51 
			  Notes: 1. The data above includes data for those learners who are aged 15-17. 2. The ILR for 2006-07 academic year data provided may include a small amount of enrolments by those who are serving their sentence in the community.  Source:  2008-09 Full academic year ILR 
		
	
	Information relating to non-OLASS qualifications is not held centrally by NOMS.
	A review on offender education led jointly by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Ministry of Justice is currently underway and is due to report to Ministers before Christmas. I expect the review to address issues such as the efficiency of education delivery, the types of qualifications made available to prisoners and the measurement of both participation and completion of various qualifications.
	Joint work is also underway with the Skills Funding Agency to improve analysis of both participation and completion data across different types of qualifications.

Prisons: Education

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his latest estimate is of spending from the public purse on education services for prisoners in each of the next five years.

Crispin Blunt: Responsibility for the funding of prisoner education rests with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). BIS are still working through the detail of the comprehensive spending review and information will be announced as soon as possible.
	In 2010-11, BIS plans to spend £168 million(1) on offender learning in English public sector prisons.
	(1 )Excludes spend associated with the employment of Heads of Learning and Skills in prisons, libraries and higher education in public sector prisons in England.

Prisons: Food

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of the food purchased for prisoners was wasted in each year since 1997; and what the monetary value was of the food wasted.

Crispin Blunt: While this information is not collected centrally the National Offender Management Service does nonetheless take its commitment for effective waste management seriously. To assist in reducing food waste we consider it essential that all food waste from prison serveries is recorded, costed and analysed locally, at least on a weekly basis.
	Prison Service Instruction 41/2003 sets out the Sustainable Development policy and strategy for public sector prisons. Integral to the waste management component of this strategy has been the introduction of in-vessel composting technology at 50 prisons with the objective of realising the economical value of waste food by processing it into usable product. These initiatives also support the prison's performance in meeting with the "Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate" targets.

Colombia

Jim McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of allegations of collaboration by that elements of the Colombian Army in drugs trafficking in Guaviare and Vichada provinces.

Jeremy Browne: On 17 October a professional soldier accused other members of the Colombian armed forces of involvement in drug trafficking in Guaviare and Vichada. The allegations included accepting payments from the illegal paramilitary group Ejército Revolucionario Popular Anticomunista Colombiano to maintain trafficking routes; use of the proceeds by one colonel to establish his own drug laboratory; and extra judicial killings. The Human Rights Unit of the Attorney-General's Office is conducting an investigation into the allegations.

Colombia

Jim McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of people subject to forced displacement that have been killed in Colombia in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: According to Government of Colombia figures 317 internally displaced persons were killed in 2007, 363 in 2008 and 553 in 2009. These figures equate to 1.9%, 2.4% and 3.1% respectively of the total number of homicides in that year.
	Officially Colombia has 3.3 million internally displaced people, although the real figure is more likely to be around 4.5 million. This is the second highest rate in the world. Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities are particularly vulnerable, mainly because they occupy land of strategic importance to guerrilla groups, cocaine cultivation or narco-trafficking.
	In 2009 the Government of Colombia reported a 56% reduction in the forced displaced population and estimated that 80% had access to basic health services. We are working with Colombia to help improve the situation of internally displaced people.

Colombia

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of indigenous people killed in Colombia in 2010; what discussions he has had with the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Rights on that matter; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: My Department has not made an estimate of the number of indigenous people killed in 2010. Figures from the National Indigenous Organisation of Colombia suggest that at least 114 indigenous women, men and children were killed in 2009.
	Our embassy in Bogota funded the visit of UN Special Rapporteur James Anaya to Colombia in July 2009. During his visit Mr Anaya congratulated the government for the "significant initiatives" undertaken, particularly in the area of health and education, to improve the difficult situation faced by the indigenous community.
	However, significant obstacles remain in the effort to realise the rights of indigenous people, particularly in the areas of land rights, forced displacement, nutrition, threats and murders. Officials at our embassy in Bogota have visited a number of indigenous communities to show support and hear at first hand about the difficulties they face. This has included visits to the Awa community in Narino and the Emberas community in Choco. Our embassy is also funding a project to enhance the judicial system and combat impunity in Cauca. Indigenous communities here represent 21.5% of the entire indigenous population in Colombia and are the victims of most human rights' abuses.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Israel on the importation of building materials into Gaza.

Alistair Burt: The UK welcomes the measures Israel announced in June to improve the flow of goods into Gaza. According to the UN in May, prior to the Israeli announcement, there were 2,794 trucks allowed into Gaza compared to 3569 in September. However, this still falls significantly short of the required amount and we believe that more needs to be done to ensure full implementation and deliver real change on the ground. We continue to discuss these issues with the Government of Israel and the UN Relief and Works Agency.

Uganda: Politics and Government

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 25-6W, on Uganda: politics and government, what reports he has received on  (a) the 22 October 2010 incident at the Electoral Commission following the visit by Dr Kizza Besigye and  (b) the statement by Dr Besigye on the steps his party will take if the 2011 election is rigged; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: I have received reports that Dr Besigye was denied entry to the offices of the Electoral Commission on 22 October. I understand that Mr Besigye has also said that the opposition parties he represents will announce their own election results rather than trust those declared by the Electoral Commission.
	I have made the point to members of both the Government and Opposition parties in Uganda (including President Museveni and the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament) that all political parties need to engage peacefully and responsibly in the electoral process. Our high commission in Kampala are continuously engaged with representatives of all parties, and in addition have urged the Electoral Commission and police to fulfil their responsibilities impartially.

Early Day Motions

Paul Beresford: To ask the Leader of the House how many early day motions were tabled in each Session since Session 1992-93.

George Young: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Session  Total number of EDMs tabled 
			 1992-93 2,595 
			 1993-94 1,705 
			 1994-95 1,591 
			 1995-96 1,259 
			 1996-97 728 
			 1997-98 1,774 
			 1998-99 1,011 
			 1999-2000 1,201 
			 2000-01 659 
			 2001-02 1,864 
			 2002-03 1,950 
			 2003-04 1,954 
			 2004-05 1,033 
			 2005-06 2,924 
			 2006-07 2,196 
			 2007-08 2,560 
			 2008-09 2,272 
			 2009-10 1,248 
			 2010-11 (As at 2 November 2010) 949 
		
	
	The total number of early day motions (EDMs) tabled each Session is published in the House's Sessional Returns, available at:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmsesret.htm
	A searchable database of EDMs is available at:
	http://edmi.parliament.uk/edmi/
	For some Sessions, the totals given include one or two EDMs which were tabled and withdrawn on the same sitting day, and so were given an EDM number but never appeared in print.
	Sessions 1996-97, 2000-01, 2004-05 and 2009-10 were short, pre-general election Sessions; Sessions 1992-93, 1997-98, 2001-02 and 2005-06 were long, post-general election Sessions.

Early Day Motions

Paul Beresford: To ask the Leader of the House how many hon. Members did not sign a single early day motion in  (a) Session 2009-10 and  (b) Session 2010-11 to date.

George Young: The information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Hon. Members who did not sign a single early-day motion 
			  Session  Number 
			 2009-10 146 
			 2010-11 (as at 4 November 2010) 204 
		
	
	In addition to backbench Members who do not wish to sign early-day motions, this figure would include the Speaker and Deputy Speakers as well as Government Ministers and whips and members of the opposition parties' frontbench teams who do not sign early-day motions as a matter of convention.
	At the start of the current Parliament and following a request from the Procedure Committee, the Table Office introduced a facility for Members who did not wish to sign any early-day motions to place a general block on their names being added to an early-day motion. 12 Members have made use of this facility so far this session.

Early Day Motions

Paul Beresford: To ask the Leader of the House how many early day motions, other than motions praying against a statutory instrument, were subsequently moved by the original sponsor on the floor of the House in each session since session 2005-06.

George Young: No early day motions (EDMs), other than motions praying against a statutory instrument, have been subsequently moved by the original sponsor on the Floor of the House in any session since session 2005-06.
	The text of an EDM has on occasion been adopted for use in a motion moved by a Member who was not the original sponsor. This occurred most recently in the case of the subsidiarity motion relating to draft directive to amend the Investor Compensation Schemes Directive, which was originally tabled as EDM 820 sponsored by the hon. Member for Stone (Mr Cash) on 14 October 2010 and was subsequently moved on the Floor of the House on 25 October 2010 by the Government. On 8 January 2008, the text of an EDM on higher education was used for an Opposition Day motion.
	There are historical examples of EDMs being debated on rare occasions. It would be open to the Backbench Business Committee to find time for an EDM to be debated and moved on the Floor of the House by the original sponsor.

Early Day Motions

Paul Beresford: To ask the Leader of the House how many early day motions tabled attracted  (a) 200 signatures or more and  (b) fewer than 10 signatures in each Session since Session 2005-06.

George Young: The information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Session  Number of EDMs with 200 signatures or more  Number of EDMs with fewer than 10 signatures 
			 2005-06 55 152 
			 2006-07 30 136 
			 2007-08 27 223 
			 2008-09 33 152 
			 2009-10 49 118 
			 2010-11 (as at  3 November 2010) 3 166 
		
	
	All EDMs since the start of the 1989-90 Session are available on the internet at:
	http://edmi.parliament.uk/edmi/
	which includes the full text as well as the number of signatures. EDMs before this Session are held in the parliamentary archives.
	The most signatures recorded on an EDM was in the 2001-02 Session to Malcolm Savidge's motion on the need to avoid conflict between India and Pakistan, which attracted 502 signatures. Previously the record was 482 signatures for an EDM on service pensions tabled in 1964 by Sir Robert Cary. The House of Commons Library factsheet on EDMs provides a list of EDMs since 1939 which have attracted 300 or more signatures.

Voting Rights: Prisoners

William Cash: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Tooting of 2 November 2010,  Official Report, column 771, on prisoners right to vote, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his proposals to extend to prisoners the right to vote of the lecture given by the Lord Chief Justice on 17 March 2010, on the obligations of UK courts in respect of the European Court of Human Rights.

Mark Harper: The Lord Chief Justice's lecture refers to the duty on domestic courts to take relevant judgments of the European Court of Human Rights into account. This duty is set out in section 2 of the Human Rights Act 1998.
	This does not change the fact that the Government are obliged under the terms of the European Convention on Human Rights to abide by final judgments of the Strasbourg court to which they are a party. The Government therefore accept there is a need to amend the law following the Hirst judgment in 2005. The Government are actively considering this and work is continuing.

Crown Currency Exchange

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to assist those affected by the entry into administration of Crown Currency Exchange.

Mark Hoban: The administrators of Crown Currency Exchange are reviewing the position of customers who were left with outstanding orders. The administrators will contact customers to confirm that the completion of currency orders has been suspended and to provide details of the next steps in the Administration process.
	The administrators will review Crown's trading operations, its financial position and the conduct of its directors. Once the administrators have reported, the Government will look closely at this case to see what lessons need to be learned from the failure of the company.

EU Budget

Ian Davidson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from what budgets the share of the increase in the EU budget for 2011 which is attributable to the UK will be drawn.

Justine Greening: In accordance with European Communities Act (2008), UK contributions to the EU budget are paid directly from the Consolidated Fund. Discussions on the EU Budget for 2011 are now in the conciliation process and no budget has yet been agreed.

Mental Health

Jo Swinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the recommendations relevant to his Department's policy responsibilities contained in the Foresight Report on Mental Capital and Wellbeing by the Government Office for Science; if he will ensure that his Department takes steps to promote wellbeing; if he will ensure that his Department's policy development process takes account of psychological research into subjective wellbeing; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The spending review prioritised spending on health, with funding for the NHS growing by 0.4% in real terms over the spending review period. This will allow for new policies to improve mental health and well-being, such as further expansion of access to talking therapies, including for the young and elderly, and additional investment in veteran's mental health services, as recommended by the Murrison review. More details will be set out in a mental health strategy which will be published early in the new year, informed by the Foresight Report on Mental Capital and Wellbeing and, as with all Government strategies, other sources of research into relevant areas.
	HM Treasury's Health and Safety Policy sets out a commitment to the prevention of work-related physical and mental ill-health. The Department supports the mental well-being of staff with welfare advice and counselling through a confidential, 24/7 helpline and communications on the prevention and management of stress in order to prevent mental ill-health.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Mary Creagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contact  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department had with the Office of Budget Responsibility on (i) 29 June, (ii) 30 June and (iii) 1 July 2010.

Justine Greening: holding answer 19 July 2010
	The interim Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was established on 17 May 2010 to make an independent assessment of the public finances and the economy for the emergency Budget. The Budget Responsibility Committee (BRC) had direct control over the forecasts, made all the key judgments that drive the official projections, and had discretion over what material was published.
	Ministers did not meet with the BRC between 29 June and 1 July 2010. Members of the BRC met with Treasury Ministers on five occasions between May 2010 and middle of July 2010 to brief them on the OBR forecasts and provide advice on the permanent arrangements for the OBR forecasts and provide advice on the permanent arrangements for the OBR. Further details are set out in the National Audit Office report of the 22 June 2010.
	Treasury officials were in contact with the OBR on an ongoing basis as part of the process of forecast production and publication.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons the preparation of an environmental sustainability assessment such as that contained in previous pre-budget reports was not included in the remit for the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Justine Greening: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will have a duty to examine and report on the sustainability of the public finances, as set out in the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Bill. Beyond the reporting requirements set out in the Bill, the OBR will have complete discretion in the work it undertakes insofar as these relate to its duty and expertise to examine and report on the sustainability of the public finances.
	The Government will remain responsible for assessing environmental impacts of Government policy, including the requirement to consider and publish the environmental impacts of policy proposals as set out in Green Book guidance.

Public Expenditure

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of job losses attributable to the comprehensive spending review measures in the  (a) public and  (b) private sector in each year of the spending review period.

Danny Alexander: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) released its projections for whole economy employment to 2015-16 on 22 June 2010, as
	part of its Budget forecasts.
	Further information on its employment forecast, including projections for general government employment, was released on 30 June 2010 in its document "OBR forecast: Employment", which can be found on the following webpage:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/publications.html
	The OBR latest forecast reflects the degree of fiscal consolidation of the 2010 Spending Review, as announced in the Budget. The OBR will update its forecasts on 29 November.

State Retirement Pensions: Uprating

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has received legal advice on the use of the consumer price index for measuring movements in the general level of prices for the purposes of  (a) section 59 of the Social Security Pensions Act 1975 and  (b) section 151 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
	Advice was taken on the legality of the use of the consumer prices index as the measure of the general level of prices in the context of the Secretary of State's statutory duty under section 150 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992. Neither section 151 of that Act nor section 59 of the Social Security Pensions Act 1975 require the Secretary of State to measure movements in the general level of prices.

State Retirement Pensions: Uprating

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the proposed use of the consumer price index for the indexation of  (a) benefits,  (b) tax credits and  (c) pensions.

Justine Greening: Engagement with the public and external experts has demonstrated a strong consensus in support of action to tackle the deficit and secure economic stability. It has also revealed broad agreement that spending reductions should be balanced across public services and welfare payments, rather than just focused on the former. Regarding the switch to the consumer price index (CPI) for the indexation of benefits, tax credits and public sector pensions, a number of economic commentators have endorsed the Government's assessment that the CPI has advantages over the retail price index, including that it better represents the real behaviour of consumers in substituting away from goods which have become relatively more expensive towards cheaper goods.

State Retirement Pensions: Uprating

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he sought advice from the UK Statistics Authority prior to his decision to propose the use of the consumer price index for the indexation of pensions.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department made use of a range of information provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) regarding price inflation indices. The UK Statistics Authority has oversight of the ONS.

VAT: Private Education

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to review the value added tax exemption for private schools.

David Gauke: European law exempts certain supplies of education from VAT, meaning that private schools do not charge VAT on the services they provide and are unable to recover VAT they incur on their costs. The Government have no plans to review these VAT rules.

Aviation: Security

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what dates since 11 May 2010 he has met representatives of the aviation industry to discuss security matters; and what items were on the agenda on each occasion.

Philip Hammond: I have frequent meetings with aviation industry representatives and the critical importance of aviation security means that this issue is almost always discussed in some form.
	I met with a wide range of representatives from the aviation industry on 4 November, including UK airports, UK airlines and air fright operators, to discuss the recent air cargo security incident.
	A full list of ministerial meetings with external organisations is published quarterly on my Department's website at the following address:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/datasets/disclosure-ministerial-external-meetings-dft-may-jul2010.csv

High Speed Trains

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the provision of a high-speed rail link between London and Scotland.

Philip Hammond: In its Programme for Government, the coalition has set out its support for a truly national high speed rail network, while acknowledging that a project of this scale must be delivered in phases. I have recently asked High Speed Two Ltd to carry out further development work on plans for a Y-shaped network from London to Leeds and Manchester, which could cut journey times to Glasgow and Edinburgh to around three hours 30 minutes via high speed services through-running onto the conventional network.
	In the longer-term, the National Infrastructure Plan has set out the Government's intention to look at the options for further reducing journey times to Glasgow and Edinburgh, on which we will need to work in collaboration with the Scottish Government.

High Speed Two: North Staffordshire

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions  (a) he has had and  (b) he plans to have with representatives of businesses in the West Midlands on a rail station in North Staffordshire for the High Speed Two line.

Philip Hammond: I have had no discussions of this kind to date. I have asked HS2 Ltd to develop proposals for high speed railway routes from the West Midlands to both Manchester and Leeds. As a part of this work they will be assessing forecast demand for intermediate stations. If the analysis shows demand in a particular area, such that an additional station would add to the business case for HS2, I will ask them to look for station locations in partnership with the relevant local authorities and representative bodies.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2010,  Official Report, column 624W, on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, what estimate he has made of the cost of responding to incidents attributed to, or believed to be caused by, sky lanterns in the last 12 months; and what the average cost of responding to such incidents was when a  (a) lifeboat and  (b) helicopter responded.

Michael Penning: The information is not available in the format requested and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.
	The Maritime and Coastguard (MCA) does not routinely collate information relating to the costs of individual search and rescue missions. The majority of the agency's search and rescue costs, such as their rescue co-ordination centres and their contracted helicopters, are fixed and would be incurred even if not responding to incidents.
	The MCA has no visibility of the costs associated with lifeboats as this is borne by either the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) or another independent lifeboat operator.

National Aviation Security Committee

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what dates since 11 May 2010 he has met the National Aviation Security Committee; and what items were on the agenda of each such meeting.

Philip Hammond: The National Aviation Security Committee, which is a high level strategic group which meets twice yearly, last met on 26 May 2010 under the chairmanship of the Director General for International Networks and Environments.
	The agenda for this meeting comprised the following items:
	Introduction and Welcome;
	Threat assessment;
	Report from the Executive Committee to National Aviation Security Committee;
	Compliance;
	Future Tasking for the Executive Committee;
	Any Other Business.
	My right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Transport (Mrs Villiers) is intending to chair the next meeting of the National Aviation Security Committee, scheduled for 29 November 2010.
	Since the discovery of a potentially viable explosive device on an aircraft at East Midlands Airport on 29 October I have convened an ad hoc meeting with airport operators, airlines, freight and courier firms and have attended meetings of Cobra and the National Security Council.

Railways: Construction

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications his Department received for compensation under the Exceptional Hardship Scheme for High Speed Two on the most recent date for which figures are available; and how many such applications were approved.

Philip Hammond: As of 2 November 2010, the High Speed Two Exceptional Hardship Scheme had received 79 applications. Decisions have been made on 31 of these applications so far. Of these 31 applications, 11 have been accepted.

Railways: Construction

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether local authorities that suffer a net loss in the monetary value of their housing assets attributable to the determined route for High Speed Two will be compensated.

Philip Hammond: In my statement to Parliament on 26 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 73-75WS, announcing the High Speed 2 Exceptional Hardship Scheme, I also set out my intention to introduce further arrangements to assist property owners, following consultation on the Government's high speed rail strategy and the route of any new line. I intend to introduce additional arrangements to help people whose property would not be covered by the statutory blight regime, but may nevertheless suffer a significant diminution in value as a result of proximity of the line.
	At this stage it is too early to predict what the format or terms of such arrangements might be, both generally and with regard to local authorities. I have asked my officials to provide me with further advice on options for the terms and conditions of such additional provision and how it should operate. I will report to Parliament on my proposed way forward in the light of the spending review outcome and before public consultation.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Maidstone

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been  (a) made against and  (b) breached by residents of Maidstone and the Weald constituency in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The latest available data on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued and breached covers the period 1 April 1999 to 31 December 2008. Figures for Maidstone and the Weald constituency are unavailable as data collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on ASBOs are not available below CJS area level.
	The number of ASBOs issued in the Kent criminal justice system (CJS) area and the number proved in court to have been breached in the Kent CJS area, in each year between 2004-08 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued in all courts( 1)  and the number proved in court to have been breached( 2)  in the Kent criminal justice system (CJS) area, 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2008 
			  CJS area  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  Kent  
			 Issued 54 44 29 26 13 
			 Breached 5 6 8 11 16 
			 (1) Includes ASBOs issued on application by magistrates courts acting in their civil capacity and county courts, which became available on 1 April 1999 and ASBOs made following conviction for a relevant criminal offence at the Crown court and at magistrates courts (acting in their criminal capacity), which became available on 2 December 2002. Prior to the creation of the Ministry of Justice on 9 May 2007, numbers of ASBOs issued were reported to Home Office by the Court Service. (2) Breach data from the magistrates court administrative systems in Kent are known to have been under-reported. ASBOs may be breached more than once and in more than one year. In this table, ASBOs are counted once only within the period when they were first breached. Many of these breaches will be as a result of an ASBO that was issued in an earlier year. ASBOs may be issued in one area and breached in another. For these reasons, breach rates cannot be computed from the figures presented in this table. Breaches are counted in this table by area of issue.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services within the Ministry of Justice.

European Data Retention Directive

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had at EU level on proposals to repeal the European Data Retention Directive.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 19 October 2010
	The European Commission is currently carrying out an evaluation of the European Data Retention Directive as they are required to do under Article 14 of that directive. The UK has responded to the request from the Commission for further information setting out the value of the directive in tackling serious crime.

European Investigation Order

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether her Department considered alternative measures in advance of the Government's decision to opt into the draft European directive on the European Investigation Order;
	(2)  if she will publish the advice she received in advance of the Government's decision to opt into the draft European directive on the European Investigation Order; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: In line with article 3 of the UK protocol to the treaty on the functioning of the European Union, the UK's opt-in applied to the European Investigation Order (EIO). As a result the three options open to the UK were: not to opt into the EIO; to opt into the EIO at the start of negotiations; or to apply to opt in once the EIO has been adopted. All these options were carefully considered by the Government and it was determined that it was in the UK's interests to opt in at the start of negotiations. The reasons for this were explained in my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary's oral statement to the House of Commons on 27 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 881-90:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm100727/debtext/100727-0001.htm#10072741000006
	Releasing the advice we received prior to making the decision on opting in to the ElO would, at this time, be prejudicial to the development of government policy on this matter.

European Investigation Order

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she gave to the Government's policy on further transfer of sovereignty or powers to the EU when determining her policy on the European Investigation Order; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 27 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 881-890. As the Home Secretary made clear in her statement, I am satisfied that the European Investigation Order (EIO) will not further transfer sovereignty or powers to the EU. The EIO seeks to improve the existing system for mutual legal assistance (MLA) between participating member states and the decision to opt in to the EIO was made following careful consideration of this policy.

Extradition

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was of the extradition case The Government of the Republic of Serbia v. Dr Ejup Ganic concluded by the judgment of 27 July 2010.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 9 September 2010
	 It is not possible to provide a complete or accurate breakdown of costs incurred in this or any other individual extradition case. A number of Departments and agencies are involved in extradition cases including the Home Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Serious Organised Crime Agency, the Crown Prosecution Service, the police and HM Courts Service; and the cost of each case is (which differs) dealt with as part of the overall and larger case load.

Human Trafficking: EU Law

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the Government's contribution to negotiations on the EU human trafficking directive; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 4 November 2010
	The Government have been engaged in ongoing negotiations with EU member states and the European Commission on the EU directive on human trafficking.
	The Government decided not to opt in to the directive at the outset, but to review the position once the directive has been agreed. We still have the option of applying to opt in at a later stage. Ongoing negotiations enable us to influence the final text of the directive, to ensure it is in the UK's best interests.

Human Trafficking: EU Law

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals for the UK to opt in to the EU Directive on Human Trafficking; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Government decided not to opt in to the directive at the outset, but to review the position once the directive has been agreed. We still have the option of applying to opt in at a later stage.
	In reaching this decision, the Government considered whether the directive would make a practical difference to the way the UK fights trafficking and whether it contained operational co-operation measures from which the UK would benefit.

Human Trafficking: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to tackle human trafficking into Northern Ireland; and what mechanism she has put in place to ensure the effectiveness of police operations against such trafficking.

Damian Green: holding answer 18 October 2010
	The Government maintain a close working relationship with relevant authorities across the UK at policy and operational levels to ensure the UK is a hostile environment for traffickers.
	We are currently developing a new strategy to combat human trafficking, as I announced in the House on 14 October 2010. This will enhance our ability to act early, involve smarter multi-agency action at the border, a more co-ordinated policing effort at home and improved victim care arrangements.
	This will be carried out in consultation with the devolved administrations to ensure a coherent UK-wide approach.

Identity and Passport Service Interview Offices

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will make an estimate of the  (a) cost and  (b) duration of travel by public transport from each of the Identity and Passport Service Interview Offices planned for closure to the nearest office proposed to remain open;
	(2)  if she will take steps to offer alternative employment to staff of the Identity and Passport Service Interview Office in York on the closure of that office.

Damian Green: holding answer 1 November 2010
	The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) is currently carrying out formal consultation with trade unions on the proposed restructuring of the Interview Office Network (ION). Any costs or travelling time associated with the restructure can only be assessed following completion and consideration of the outcome of the consultation process.
	IPS is committed to ensuring that staff whose posts are declared surplus under restructuring plans are considered for any internal vacancy or redeployment opportunity across the civil service before considering compulsory redundancy. Support is in place to enable our staff to enhance existing skills and to enable them to apply for suitable vacancies outside of the civil service.

Identity and Passport Service: Newport (Gwent)

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of staff of the Identity and Passport Service working in the Newport passport office who could be redeployed from the Newport passport office to other civil service jobs in Newport.

Damian Green: holding answer 4 November 2010
	The proposed closure of the passport application processing centre at Newport would affect around 250 staff. The Identity and Passport Office are proposing to retain a customer service centre in Newport to service south Wales and the south-west. This will redeploy up to 45 people to provide a counter service and the ability to deal with applicants in the Welsh language. There is no forecast yet available regarding the volume or type of vacancies that might arise in the wider civil service between now and the proposed closure date. However, Identity and Passport Service is committed to providing individuals with outplacement support in order to help facilitate their move to alternative employment. This will include providing support in identifying alternative job opportunities both in the wider public sector but also in the private sector; providing practical training and development support; and making dedicated office space available to outplacement support where members of staff can go to seek help and advice and take time to carry out their job search.

Police Stations: Rugby

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will estimate the average number of people who visited the enquiry office of Rugby Police Station in each hour of the day in which that office was open to the public in the latest year in which figures are available;
	(2)  if she will estimate the average number of people who visited the enquiry office of Rugby Police Station on each day of the week in the latest year for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: The Department does not collect information on the opening hours or the number of people attending police station inquiry offices. The opening hours of police station inquiry offices are a matter for chief constables to determine in line with local priorities.

Police: Accountability

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms she plans to put in place to ensure the operational independence of the police following the introduction of elected police commissioners.

Nick Herbert: As outlined in the Policing in the 21(st) Century consultation document the Government are determined to maintain the operational independence of the police which is a fundamental principle of British policing.
	The Government's consultation on these proposals closed on 20 September 2010 and a detailed response will be published shortly.

Police: Females

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women were employed by the police  (a) nationally and  (b) in each constabulary in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: Available data relates to full-time equivalent female officer strength by police force area in England and Wales at 31 March 2010 and are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Female officer strength in England and Wales by police force area on 31 March 2010 
			  Full-time equivalent( 1) 
			  Police force  Police officers  Police staff( 2)  Police community support officers  Designated officers  Traffic wardens 
			 Avon and Somerset 816 1,122 223 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire 363 557 64 32 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 381 642 107 16 0 
			 Cheshire 552 884 94 31 0 
			 Cleveland 368 484 72 0 0 
			 Cumbria 403 493 60 10 0 
			 Derbyshire 521 847 88 57 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 892 1,039 159 100 1 
			 Dorset 350 627 68 18 0 
			 Durham 394 546 77 19 0 
			 Essex 997 1,259 244 38 2 
			 Gloucestershire 361 423 74 18 0 
			 Greater Manchester 2,113 2,402 324 114 2 
			 Hampshire 1,065 1,455 169 33 1 
			 Hertfordshire 654 958 139 107 0 
			 Humberside 538 840 165 111 1 
			 Kent 995 1,458 192 161 0 
			 Lancashire 991 1,305 195 0 0 
			 Leicestershire 577 752 88 51 0 
			 Lincolnshire 299 508 74 16 2 
			 London, City of 175 170 18 0 0 
			 Merseyside 1,109 1,345 205 66 0 
			 Metropolitan police 7,774 8,299 1,613 137 144 
			 Norfolk 420 625 135 23 5 
			 Northamptonshire 359 771 67 5 0 
			 Northumbria 1,081 1,208 202 24 0 
			 North Yorkshire 381 676 80 0 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 577 985 122 37 0 
			 South Yorkshire 777 1,482 141 24 0 
			 Staffordshire 552 840 120 56 0 
			 Suffolk 318 533 87 14 0 
			 Surrey 576 1,113 105 107 0 
			 Sussex 925 1,214 220 8 9 
			 Thames Valley 1,213 1,778 267 47 2 
			 Warwickshire 254 433 76 0 1 
			 West Mercia 656 1,080 132 0 0 
			 West Midlands 2,446 2,277 398 0 0 
			 West Yorkshire 1,552 2,068 331 0 2 
			 Wiltshire 334 531 62 84 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 310 392 35 12 5 
			 Gwent 379 486 73 0 9 
			 North Wales 416 573 81 9 0 
			 South Wales 775 1,077 156 39 19 
			 Total 36,988 48,556 7,399 1,621 206 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number.  (2) Police staff excludes PCSOs, TWs and DOs.

Police: Finance

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the likely effects on future levels of police authority precepts of the police funding settlement in the 2010 spending review.

Nick Herbert: The Independent Office of Budget Responsibility assumes that after freezing the precept in England in 2011-12, police authorities would on average choose to increase precept in line with historical trend growth.

Police: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers she expects to be employed in North Wales in each of the next four years.

Nick Herbert: Information on numbers of police officers and police community support officers expected to be employed in the future is not available centrally. It is important that each police force has the right mix of police officers and police support staff so as to deliver the best service possible to the public. It is not for the Government to determine how many officers and police community support officers are engaged by the North Wales police, this is a local decision for chief constable and the police authority.

Squatting

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what guidance her Department issues to the police on the treatment of squatters; what recent discussions she has had with the police on treatment of squatters; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent representations she has received on the adequacy of police powers to remove squatters from residential property; what response she provided in each case; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: I have not received any specific representations on the adequacy of police powers to remove squatters from residential property, but I understand that my right hon. and learned Friend, the Lord Chancellor (Mr Clarke) has received a number of representations on the subject. The Home Office has not issued any specific guidance to the police on the treatment of squatters.
	The Ministry of Justice is currently looking at the law on trespass, and the way it is enforced, in association with the Association of Chief Police Officers, other Government Departments, including the Home Office and the Crown Prosecution Service, to see if any strengthening or guidance is needed.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Health Services

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS was of  (a) treatment and  (b) prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in each of the last three years.

Simon Burns: The Department does not calculate an annual estimate of treatment and prevention costs for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), but recent calculations have been made as part of the 2010 Consultation on a Strategy for Services for COPD in England. The results are summarised in the following table, taken from the Consultation Impact Assessment.
	
		
			  Category of treatment cost - all estimates per annum and in 2008-09 prices 
			  £ million 
			   Central estimate  Maximum 
			 Primary care 78 198 
			 Pharmaceuticals 263 263 
			 Secondary care 386 386 
			 Community services: oxygen therapy 63 63 
			 Total 790 910 
			  Notes: The £78 million estimate is derived from 772,000 patients with recorded COPD, an estimate of 2.76 GP consultations per person per year and a unit cost of £36.50 per GP consultation. The 2.76 based on the number of consultations with COPD recorded as the reason for the consultation. The £198 million estimate is derived from 772,000 patients with recorded COPD, an estimate of 7.03 GP consultations per person per year and a unit cost of £36.50 per GP consultation. The 7.03 is based on all GP consultations that each patient has; some of these will have been unrelated to COPD. Patients will have GP appointments where COPD is not recorded as the reason for the appointment, but where COPD was nonetheless a contributor to the appointment; kind of like a secondary diagnosis. Ref: Consultation on a Strategy for Services for COPD in England (Department of Health, 2010). Includes Impact Assessment. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_112977 Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services (NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care, 2010).  www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/nhs-stop-smoking-services 
		
	
	Several departmental/national health service activities contribute to COPD prevention and exacerbation prevention, including influenza vaccination, pneumococcal vaccination and Stop Smoking Services. These activities also help prevent other diseases, so it is difficult to attribute a precise fraction of their cost to COPD. The Impact Assessment estimates an attributed cost of £20 million per annum for the vaccinations. Data from the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care shows total expenditure on Stop Smoking Services (excluding pharmaceuticals) of £60.8 million in 2007-08, £73.7 million in 2008-09 and £83.9 million in 2009-10.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Health Services

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to improve the  (a) treatment and  (b) prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Simon Burns: The proposals to improve the prevention and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is set out in the consultation on the Strategy for Services for People with COPD in England. The consultation document has already been placed in the Library and can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_112977
	The Department is currently considering the responses to that consultation.

General Practitioners

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to establish an approved list of private sector companies from which GP commissioning consortia may purchase services.

Simon Burns: General practitioner (GP) consortia will receive a management allowance and will be free to decide what commissioning activities they undertake for themselves and for which activities they choose to buy in support from external organisations, including local authorities, private and voluntary sector bodies. Discussions are ongoing as to how the arrangements will work in practice. No decisions have been taken on whether national commercial arrangements should be established to support GP consortia.
	Liberating the NHS: Commissioning for Patients invited views on a number of areas of the commissioning agenda, including how to support consortia in assessing commissioning support organisations. The engagement exercise closed on 11 October and the Department is now analysing all of the contributions received.

Hospitals

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department issues guidance on the maximum size of population a general hospital outside London should serve.

Simon Burns: The Department does not issue guidance on the maximum size of population that a general hospital outside London should serve. national health service organisations will decide locally what constitutes the best configuration for the delivery of healthcare services and facilities for their patients.

Mental Health: Young People

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase levels of awareness of mental health issues in young people.

Paul Burstow: We announced our intention to produce a new mental health strategy in September. The strategy will take a cross Government and life course approach focussing on outcomes that are meaningful to patients and their families. We intend a wholesale shift in emphasis that puts mental health outcomes alongside physical health indicators in assessments of the quality of the national health service.
	The Department of Health works closely with the Department for Education to increase awareness of mental health issues among young people.

NHS: Finance

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates he has made of the likely changes in the NHS budget consequent on  (a) an increasingly elderly population and  (b) rising drug prices in the next 10 years.

Simon Burns: National health service funding for 2011-12 to 2014-15 is set out in the recent spending review settlement; funding is protected in real terms over the next four years.
	Further, the Department is working with the NHS to prepare to deliver a quantum shift in NHS efficiency, delivering £15 billion to £20 billion over the next four years.
	All of these savings will be reinvested in the NHS. Together with the guarantee to protect funding against inflation the increased efficiency will allow the NHS to continue to deliver high quality health care and keep pace with demographic pressures, medical advances and rising public expectations.
	On the particular pressures identified in the question:
	An increasingly elderly population: The Department anticipate a pressure of about 1% per year over the spending review period. This matches analysis of external commentators such as The Kings Fund.
	Branded drug prices are controlled by the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS)-a voluntary agreement between the Department and the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industries-which aims to achieve a balance between reasonable prices for the NHS and a fair return for the industry to enable it to research, develop and market new and improved medicines.
	The 2009 agreement included a pricing package comprising price cuts of 3.9% in 2009, and a further 1.9% in 2010. The agreement also permits price increases of 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.2% in 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively.
	In 2014 we will introduce a system of value based pricing for medicines, where the price of a drug will be determined by its assessed value. The NHS faces great challenges and reforming the way we pay for new medicines is a key part of ensuring that patients get better access to drugs and the NHS and the taxpayer get better value for money.

Organs: Donors

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to arrange for local co-ordination of organ donation under the proposals in the NHS White Paper;
	(2)  what progress has been made on implementation of the recommendations of the Organ Donation Taskforce's report on organs for transplants; how many likely organ donations after death there were in 2008; what estimate he has made of the number in 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The implementation programme has been successful, with the vast majority of recommendations needing a central steer being either completed or nearing completion. Key progress includes:
	Establishing a new Organ Donor Organisation within NHS Blood and Transplant.
	Establishing a new United Kingdom-wide independent Donation Ethics Committee within the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
	Ensuring that Acute Trusts have: a Clinical Lead for Organ Donation; A Donation Committee; a Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation.
	Disseminating bench-marked data to trusts every six months, to enable them to monitor their potential and actual donation rates.
	Removing financial disincentives, through reimbursing trusts for the management of potential donors.
	Establishing organ retrieval teams to provide high quality, 24/7, organ retrieval service across the UK.
	Publishing national guidance.
	Running a national media campaign to promote organ donation.
	Work to implement the recommendations in the Organ Donation Taskforce report has been ongoing since the report was first published in January 2008 and good progress has been made.
	As part of the implementation programme, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have already been working to raise the profile of and improve the systems for organ donation within every hospital trust. In order to do this they have established a network of 220 Specialist Nurses for Organ Donation who are based at hospitals throughout the country. The role of these specialist nurses is to work with families, providing a constant link to support and guide them throughout the donation process.
	NHSBT have also worked with hospitals to ensure the appointment of 187 Clinical Leads for Organ Donation. Usually intensive care or emergency medicine consultants, the Clinical Leads are working with their colleagues to foster a culture where consideration of the potential for organ donation becomes a usual rather than unusual event.
	In addition to this 160 Donation Committees have been set up within hospitals with the tools they need and an innovative Professional Development Programme to support organ donation.
	There were 884 organ donations after death in 2008, when the implementation programme began. The implementation programme has led to the number of deceased organ donors and organ transplants reaching a record UK high last year, with the lives of more than 3,700 people being saved through the gift of life. This represents a 19% increase in deceased organ donation since the implementation programme began. This increase is significantly higher than the Programme Delivery Board anticipated at such an early stage of the implementation programme.
	We are taking steps to ensure that the momentum gained over the last two years is sustained, to enable us to realise the taskforce's aspiration of a 50% increase in organ donation by 2013. This includes continuing to ensure that work is aligned with and utilises new levers, such as those included in the NHS White Paper.

Organs: Donors

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people on  (a) the transplant waiting list and  (b) the NHS Organ Donor Register are from Black and minority ethnic groups; what recent estimate he has made of the rate of deceased organ donation by people from black and minority ethnic groups; what steps he plans to take to increase that rate; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: To raise the profile of organ donation and the benefits of transplantation, NHS Blood and Transplant work in partnerships with the national health service, commercial and third sector organisations to support local events around the country or national initiatives such as joining the Organ Donor Register when registering with a doctor, or applying for a driving license. As part of a recent media campaign there were activities targeted specifically at black and minority ethnic (BME) audiences including street plays, faith road shows and coverage in BME specific media outlets.
	Information on the proportion of people from black and minority ethnic groups on the transplant waiting list; registered on the organ donor register and the ethnicity of deceased solid organ donors is given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Ethnicity of people on  the current active transplant list, as at 1 November 2010 
			  Ethnic origin  Number  Percentage 
			 White 5,863 74.4 
			 Asian 1,194 15.1 
			 Black 613 7.8 
			 Chinese 95 1.2 
			 Mixed 20 0.3 
			 Other 98 1.2 
			 Not reported 1 <0.1 
			 Unknown 2 <0.1 
			 Total 7,886 100.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnicity of deceased solid organ donors in the UK, 1 April 2007-31 March 2010 
			2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 Ethnicity White 777 96.0 857 95.2 914 95.3 
			  Asian 13 1.6 17 1.9 15 1.6 
			  Black 11 1.4 13 1.4 13 1.4 
			  Chinese 1 0.1 2 0.2 2 0.2 
			  Other 7 0.9 11 1.2 15 1.6 
			 Total  809  900  959  
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnicity of registrants where given on the Organ Donor Register, as at 1 November 2010 
			  Ethnic origin  Number  on the ODR  Percentage on the ODR  Percentage where ethnicity reported on the ODR 
			 White 2,958,770 16.9 96.7 
			 Asian 38,891 0.2 1.3 
			 Black 12,168 0.1 0.4 
			 Chinese 4,563 0.0 0.1 
			 Mixed 34,321 0.2 1.1 
			 Other 11,331 0.1 0.4 
			 Total reported 3,060,044 17.5 - 
			 Not reported 14,475,152 82.5 - 
			 Total 17,535,196

Organs: Donors

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on increasing  (a) the proportion of relatives who consent to organ donation by a deceased patient and  (b) the number of donation after brain death donors.

Anne Milton: There are a range of ongoing activities to promote organ donation and increase donation rates. In autumn 2009, NHS Blood and Transplant launched a UK-wide public awareness campaign to encourage more people not just to join the Organ Donor Register (ODR), but also to discuss their wishes in relation to organ donation with family members.
	NHS Blood and Transplant also work in partnership with the national health service, commercial and third sector organisations to support local promotional and awareness-raising activity around the country or national initiatives such as joining the ODR when registering with a doctor, or applying for a driving licence.
	Steady improvement is being made. During 2009-10, organ donor rates increased to nearly 20% over the baseline year of 2007-08. We aim to see organ donor rates continue to rise this year, allowing many more people to benefit from a life saving or life enhancing transplant.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Kent

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of each type of sexually transmitted infection were reported by  (a) South East Coast Strategic Health Authority,  (b) West Kent Primary Care Trust and  (c) Medway Primary Care Trust, in each year since 2007.

Anne Milton: Before 2009 data are only available at the strategic health authority (SHA) of clinic attended. The number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in South East Coast SHA, West Kent Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Medway PCT diagnosed in genitourinary medicine clinics (GUM) by location of the GUM clinic attended between 2007 and 2009 are presented in Table 1.
	Since 2009, data has been collected by patient's area of residence. The number of STIs in 2009, in South East Coast SHA, West Kent PCT and Medway PCT diagnosed in GUM clinics by patient's area of residence are presented in Table 2.
	The number of Chlamydia diagnoses made in community-based settings (non-GUM sites) in 15 to 24-year-olds resident in South East Coast SHA, West Kent PCT and Medway PCT are presented in Table 3.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of STI diagnoses seen at genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics by SHA and PCT of GUM clinic attended: 2007-09 
			  By GUM clinic 
			South East Coast SHA  2009 
			  Code group  Diagnoses  2007  2008  2009  West Kent PCT  Medway PCT 
			 A1, A2 Primary and secondary infectious syphilis 110 111 101 13 * 
			 A3 Early latent syphilis (first two years) 74 57 45 * 0 
			 A4, A5, A6 Other acquired syphilis 84 102 77 8 6 
			 A7 Congenital syphilis, aged under two 0 * 0 0 0 
			 A8 Congenital syphilis, aged two or over 0 * 0 0 0 
			 A9 Epidemiological treatment of suspected syphilis 48 50 45 0 * 
			 B1, B2 Uncomplicated gonorrhoea 755 563 626 75 34 
			 B3 Gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum * * 0 0 0 
			 B4 Epidemiological treatment of suspected gonorrhoea 402 418 463 64 16 
			 B5 Complicated gonococcal infection-including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and epididymitis 10 11 10 * 0 
			 C1, C2, C3 Chancroid/Lymphogranuloma venerum/Donovanosis 13 23 15 * * 
			 C10A Anogenital herpes simplex-first episode 1,700 1,978 2,136 230 141 
			 C10B Anogenital herpes simplex-recurrence 1,202 1,509 1,749 225 110 
			 C11A Anogenital warts-first episode 5,764 6,095 6,386 894 497 
			 C11B Anogenital warts-recurrence 3,541 3,557 1 3,660 508 365 
			 C11C Anogenital warts-re-registered cases 1,300 1,574 1,506 253 112 
			 C12 Molluscum contagiosum 1,097 1,201 1,154 136 161 
			 C4A, C4C Uncomplicated genital chlamydial infection 6,393 6,934 6,371 686 566 
			 C4B Complicated genital chlamydial infection-including PID and epididymitis 145 158 187 11 * 
			 C4D Chlamydial ophthalmia neonatorum 0 * * 0 * 
			 C4E Epidemiological treatment of suspected genital chlamydial infection 3,549 3,958 3,753 558 351 
			 C4H Uncomplicated non-gonococcal/non-specific urethritis in males, or treatment of mucopurulent cervicitis in females 5,448 5,502 5,382 851 473 
			 C4I Epidemiological treatment of non-specific genital infection (NSGI) 1,852 1,699 1,824 191 252 
			 C5 Complicated infection (non-chlamydial/non-gonococcal)-including PID and epididymitis 659 801 1,061 44 12 
			 C6A Trichomoniasis 142 116 148 37 19 
			 C8, C9 Scabies/pediculosis pubis 107 100 141 5 11 
			 E1A New HIV diagnosis-asymptomatic 288 319 256 24 32 
			 E1B, E2B Subsequent HIV presentation (not AIDS) 5,131 5,503 6,974 635 266 
			 E2A New HIV diagnosis: symptomatic (not AIDS) 42 58 29 * 0 
			 E3A1 AIDS: first presentation-new HIV diagnosis 18 28 23 * 0 
			 E3A2 AIDS: first presentation-HIV diagnosed previously * 12 * 0 0 
			 E3B AIDS-subsequent presentation 1,116 1,170 1,436 123 49 
			
			  Total new STI diagnoses 22,765 24,055 24,071 3,016 1,953 
			  Total other STI diagnoses 18,229 19,558 21,492 2,565 1,530 
			  Total STI diagnoses 40,994 43,613 45,563 5,581 3,483 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of STI diagnoses seen at genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics by patient area of residence: 2009 
			2009 
			  Code group  Diagnoses  South East Coast SHA  West Kent PCT  Medway PCT 
			 A1, A2 Primary and secondary infectious syphilis 114 15 * 
			 A3 Early latent syphilis (first two years) 48 * 0 
			 A4, A5, A6 Other acquired syphilis 81 * * 
			 A7 Congenital syphilis, aged under two 0 0 0 
			 A8 Congenital syphilis, aged two or over 0 0 0 
			 A9 Epidemiological treatment of suspected syphilis 59 * * 
			 B1, B2 Uncomplicated gonorrhoea 631 82 27 
			 B3 Gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum 0 0 0 
			 B4 Epidemiological treatment of suspected gonorrhoea 440 48 14 
			 B5 Complicated gonococcal infection-including PID and epididymitis 12 * 0 
			 C1, C2, C3 Chancroid/LGV/Donovanosis 17 * * 
			 C10A Anogenital herpes simplex-first episode 2,018 226 121 
			 C10B Anogenital herpes simplex-recurrence 1,673 191 102 
			 C11A Anogenital warts-first episode 5,950 811 424 
			 C11B Anogenital warts-recurrence 3,392 454 317 
			 C11C Anogenital warts-re-registered cases 1,463 219 98 
			 C12 Molluscum contagiosum 1,058 132 135 
			 C4A, C4C Uncomplicated genital chlamydial infection 6,000 663 486 
			 C4B Complicated genital chlamydial infection-including PID and epididymitis 204 15 * 
			 C4D Chlamydial ophthalmia neonatorum (1)- 0 * 
			 C4E Epidemiological treatment of suspected genital chlamydial infection 3,543 506 285 
			 C4H Uncomplicated non-gonococcal/non-specific urethritis in males, or treatment of mucopurulent cervicitis in females 4,993 819 379 
			 C4I Epidemiological treatment of NSGI 1,713 208 208 
			 C5 Complicated infection (non-chlamydial/non-gonococcal)-including PID and epididymitis 1,068 52 19 
			 C6A Trichomoniasis 148 39 13 
			 C8, C9 Scabies/pediculosis pubis 131 * 10 
			 E1A New HIV diagnosis-asymptomatic 269 26 28 
			 E1B, E2B Subsequent HIV presentation (not AIDS) 6,651 558 214 
			 E2A New HIV diagnosis: symptomatic (not AIDS) 45 5 * 
			 E3A1 AIDS: first presentation-new HIV diagnosis 31 * * 
			 E3A2 AIDS: first presentation-HIV diagnosed previously 7 0 0 
			 E3B AIDS-subsequent presentation 1,428 106 48 
			  
			  Total new STI diagnoses 22,735 2,893 1,650 
			  Total other STI diagnoses 20,452 2,304 1,293 
			  Total STI diagnoses 43,187 5,197 2,943 
			 (1) Indicates brace.  Notes: 1. Cell size of 1 to 4 have been masked (masked with an asterisk,*) to protect deductive disclosure in accordance with ONS guidelines for SHA/PCT level data. Totals include the masked counts. 2. Counts for categories C4B and C4D have been combined to prevent disclosure of small numbers, in accordance with ONS guidelines. 3. The data available from the KC60 (2008 and earlier) and GUMCAD (2009 onwards) returns are for diagnoses made in genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics only. Diagnoses made in other clinical settings, such as General Practice, are not recorded in the GUMCAD dataset. 4. The data available from the KC60 and GUMCAD returns are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of patients diagnosed. 5. The difference between the total STI diagnoses in 2009 in Table 1 and 2 is due to patients attending GUM clinics in areas other than where they are resident. 6. The information provided is based on reported SHA data that has been adjusted for missing clinic data.  Date of Data: 25 August 2010  Source: Health Protection Agency, KC60 and Genitourinary Medicine Clinic Activity Dataset (GUMCAD) returns. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of  Chlamydia  diagnoses in 15 to 24-year-olds resident within the South East Coast SHA, West Kent PCT and Medway PCT made in community-based settings 2007-09 
			   2007  2008  2009 
			 South East Coast SHA 1,509 3,385 4,922 
			 West Kent PCT 196 399 643 
			 Medway PCT 144 361 546 
			  Notes: 1. The NCSP has been phased in since 1 April 2003 with all 152 PCTs reporting data to the programme since March 2008. Therefore numbers of diagnoses have risen substantially as the proportion of sexually active under 25-year-olds who have been tested has increased. 2. Collection of non-NCSP, non-GUM data commenced from April 2008. 3. The data from the NCSP Core Dataset and the Non NCSP Non GUM are for positive Chlamydia diagnoses made outside of GUM clinics. 4. The data in Table 3 are the number of diagnoses made and not the number of patients diagnosed.  Date of Data: NCSP Core Dataset: 25 October 2010; Non NCSP Non GUM Data: 5 August 2010.  Source: Health Protection Agency, National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP), NCSP returns and Non NCSP Non GUM data

Smallpox: Vaccination

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff are vaccinated against smallpox for the purposes of first response in the event of a smallpox outbreak or biological attack.

Anne Milton: Vaccination of a cohort of front line health workers to deal with any initial suspected or confirmed case of smallpox if one were to occur was completed in 2005. The cohort comprised a total of 516 vaccinated personnel of whom 147 were doctors, 164 were nurses, 100 were ambulance staff, 32 were scientists and 73 held other related health care occupations. All were carefully screened and monitored and none had adverse complications that required vaccinia immunoglobulin. There is no proposal to increase the numbers of people in the cohort.

Daresbury Laboratory: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department plans to allocate to Daresbury Laboratory in 2011-12 to 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: In the recent spending review my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the Government will spend £4.6 billion on science and research programmes in each of the next four years within a ring-fenced budget. Capital and administration spending on science and research have not yet been decided.
	In the coming months, Ministers will make decisions on the balance of funding between the individual research councils, HEFCE's research and knowledge transfer activities, the national academies and other programs. Detailed decisions on specific projects, like the Daresbury Laboratory will be taken by research councils, in line with the Haldane Principle.

EU Grants and Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether a cut-off date has been set for drawing down European Regional Development Fund funding to the UK in the event that matched funding is not made available.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 4 November 2010
	No cut off date has been set for drawing down European Regional Development Fund funding to the UK. The Government expect that the UK's 2007-13 European Regional Development Fund programmes will continue to operate until their end date of 2015.

Green Investment Bank

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Green Investment Bank will issue its own bonds.

Mark Prisk: The Green Investment Bank will be funded through £1 billion of DEL funding and additional significant proceeds from asset sales. Decisions on additional funding sources is subject to further design and market testing work. Decisions will be subject to the Government's tests of effectiveness, affordability and transparency.

Higher Education: Student Loans

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the age at which student loans of  (a) £7,000,  (b) £10,000 and  (c) £12,000 will be paid off by graduates in each income decile following implementation of the proposals in the Browne Review of higher education funding.

David Willetts: The Government have now set out their proposals for higher education and student finance in Parliament following the Browne Review of Higher Education and Student Finance. The Government have broadly accepted Lord Browne's proposals on repayment while adapting the system to make it more progressive.
	We have estimated the number of years students are likely to be in repayment if the proposals in the Browne Review were to be implemented.
	Graduates move into repayment from the April after they leave university. The following table gives the number of years that we estimate graduates will be in repayment, though in each year there will be many graduates who will be eligible to repay as they have left university while benefitting from the low income protection and not actually making any repayments.
	Graduates who are still in repayment after 30 years have the balance of their loan cancelled and are considered to be in repayment for 30 years. Graduates who fully repay their loan on graduation are considered to be in repayment for 0 years. Graduates who have their loans cancelled for death or disability are considered to be in repayment for the number of years until their loan is cancelled.
	This has been based on a student on a three-year course taking out a loan in each year.
	
		
			  Average number of years in repayment 
			  Lifetime earnings decile  £7,000/year  £10,000/year  £12,000/year 
			 10 10 13 15 
			 9 15 20 23 
			 8 16 21 24 
			 7 17 23 26 
			 6 21 25 27 
			 5 23 26 28 
			 4 26 28 29 
			 3 27 29 29 
			 2 26 27 27 
			 1 22 22 22 
		
	
	The figures are affected by the inclusion of graduates who have their loans written off for death or disability, particularly in the lowest decile as they are only in repayment until their loan is written off. As a result they are in repayment for a shorter period and they bring the average down.

Higher Education: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people normally resident in  (a) Coventry and  (b) the West Midlands studied undergraduate courses at university in each year since 1997; and how much was paid to such students in non-refundable grants and bursaries.

David Willetts: The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on undergraduate enrolments from Coventry and the west midlands is shown in Table 1. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011. Figures for undergraduate enrolments to higher education (HE) level courses at further education (FE) colleges are not available by parliamentary constituency, and are therefore excluded.
	
		
			  Table 1: Undergraduate enrolments( 1 ) from Coventry local authority( 2)  and West Midlands Government office region, UK higher education institutions( 3) , academic years 1997/98 to 2008/09 
			  Number 
			  Academic year  Coventry  West Midlands 
			 1997/98 2,325 44,965 
			 1998/99 2,505 47,510 
			 1999/2000 2,650 48,965 
			 2000/01 2,720 49,870 
			 2001/02 2,790 50,400 
			 2002/03 2,820 51,990 
			 2003/04 2,855 53,860 
			 2004/05 3,045 54,485 
			 2005/06 3,145 56,420 
			 2006/07 3,115 56,915 
			 2007/08 3,075 57,835 
			 2008/09 3,245 60,010 
			 (1) Enrolments cover all years of study, not just first-year students.  (2) Excludes those whose local authority could not be established due to missing or invalid postcode information.  (3) Excludes the Open university due to inconsistencies in their coding across the time series.   Note: Figures are based on a 1 December snapshot and have been rounded to the nearest five.   Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	Tables 2 and 3 show information from the Student Loans Company (SLC) on applicants awarded grants for maintenance and the amounts awarded. These figures are on a different basis to the HESA figures in Table 1 which include part-time enrolments and should not be combined in calculations. SLC figures include postgraduate and part-time initial teacher training applicants who were awarded HE grants and maintenance grants. Other part-time support is not covered. Applicants awarded grants for HE courses in FE colleges are included. The HE grant was introduced in 2004/05; figures are shown from that year onwards. The maintenance grant was introduced for new students from 2006/07 and replaced the HE grant. The HE grant continued to be available to those who had entered higher education in 2004/05 and 2005/06.
	
		
			  Table 2: Grants for maintenance( 1)  from Coventry local authority, academic years 2004/05 to 2008/09 
			  Academic year  Grant  Applicants awarded (number)  Amount  awarded (£) 
			 2004/05 HE grant 730 620,000 
			 2005/06 HE grant 1,360 1,190,000 
			 2006/07 HE grant 1,090 950,000 
			  Maintenance grant(2) 1,140 2,280,000 
			 2007/08 HE grant 670 610,000 
			  Maintenance grant(2) 2,130 4,460,000 
			 2008/09 HE grant 210 190,000 
			  Maintenance grant(2) 3,330 7,200,000 
			 (1) Applicant figures are rounded to nearest 10, amounts awarded to nearest £10,000. Includes awards to students who subsequently withdrew from their course or suspended study.  (2) Maintenance grant figures include special support grant.   Source:  Student Loans Company. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Grants for maintenance( 1)  from West Midlands Government office region, academic years 2004/05 to 2008/09 
			  Academic year  Grant  Applicants awarded (number)  Amount  awarded (£) 
			 2004/05 HE grant 11,220 9,560,000 
			 2005/06 HE grant 21,070 18,130,000 
			 2006/07 HE grant 16,980 14,920,000 
			  Maintenance grant(2) 18,810 36,680,000 
			 2007/08 HE grant 10,420 9,210,000 
			  Maintenance grant(2) 34,210 69,300,000 
			 2008/09 HE Grant 3,330 2,930,000 
			  Maintenance Grant(2) 51,620 108,860,000 
			 (1) Applicant figures are rounded to nearest 10, amounts awarded to nearest £10,000. Includes awards to students who subsequently withdrew from their course or suspended study.  (2 )Maintenance Grant figures include special support grant.   Source:  Student Loans Company. 
		
	
	The information requested on bursaries is not available centrally as they are the responsibility of HE institutions.

Overseas Students: Palestinians

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what routes are available for students resident in the West Bank and Gaza to study at UK universities.

David Willetts: UK universities recruit students from all around the world including from the Palestinian Territories. In 2008/09, the latest year for which data is available, the Higher Education Statistics Agency recorded 75 students from the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza studying at UK higher education institutions.
	Policy on admissions rests with individual universities. Places for students outside the European Union are not publicly funded and nor are the numbers controlled centrally. This means that universities are free to set their own limits although they must satisfy themselves that applicants meet the necessary entry requirements for their courses.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is supporting the Higher Education Scholarships for Palestine Programme (HESPAL) which will see 10 academics a year from Palestinian universities complete a year's postgraduate study at a UK partner university. The programme is managed by the British Council and funded jointly by private sponsors, participating universities and the Government.

Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding to meet staff redundancy costs was identified in his Department's settlement letter in respect of the comprehensive spending review.

Edward Davey: The administration budget of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) will reduce by an overall 40% in real terms over the spending review including savings that will come with the abolition of RDAs.
	All pressures on Departments' budgets were taken into account as part of the spending review and settlements were allocated accordingly. The full cost of redundancies will be met from within this Department's spending review resource DEL settlement.

Redundancy

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies arising from the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review in respect of  (a) his Department,  (b) its non-departmental public bodies and  (c) other public bodies which are dependent on his Department for funding.

Edward Davey: The administration budget of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) will reduce by an overall 40% in real terms over the spending review including savings that will come with the abolition of RDAs.
	The expected savings for BIS and its partner organisations (excluding RDAs) is equivalent to a 22% reduction (net of redundancies) over four years.
	Determining optimal work force reforms in order to live within this Department's spending review resource DEL settlement will be an ongoing process. Detailed decisions regarding the number of redundancies that may be required have yet to be finalised.

ATOS Healthcare

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department paid for the services provided by ATOS Healthcare in 2009-10.

Chris Grayling: The Department has paid ATOS Healthcare £107 million in 2009-10 for the services provided under the medical services agreement. This figure not only covers the total number of examinations undertaken across all benefits, but also costs relating to written and verbal medical advice, fixed overheads, administrative costs, investment in new technology and other service improvements.

Council Tax Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the effects on each local authority of the proposed 10 per cent. reduction in council tax benefit.

Steve Webb: The Government are working to develop the new arrangements including the detailed administrative implications for local authorities which have yet to be determined.

Employment and Support Allowance: Bradford

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claimants of employment and support allowance in the Bradford area  (a) have been found capable of work,  (b) have appealed against that decision and  (c) have had their appeal granted since May 2005.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Employment and support allowance (ESA) was introduced in October 2008. From the latest available data, 3,990 or 48% of all new ESA claims received in the Bradford local authority area were found fit for work at their initial work capability assessment (WCA), between October 2008 and February 2010.
	 (b) This information is not available. Data on appeals is collated only at the point the outcome is received from the Tribunals Service.
	 (c) Of all new ESA claims received between October 2008 and August 2009 that were found fit for work at the initial WCA, 850 or 34% have had an appeal heard by July 2010. Of this number, 260 or 31% of appeals heard found in favour of the appellant. The number of appeals heard after August 2009 is too low for inclusion.
	All caseload figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and percentages to the nearest percentage point. This data is taken from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare and appeals data sourced from the Tribunals Service.
	The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the work capability assessment. More information can be found on the departmental website here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/index.php?page=esa_wca_arc

Winter Fuel Payments

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households received the winter fuel allowance at each rate in each constituency in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available for individuals who received each rate of winter fuel payment in each parliamentary constituency is in the document "Winter Fuel Payment amounts by Parliamentary Constituency as at Winter 2009/10." This is available in the House of Commons Library and on the internet at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wfp